Though it initially looked like a piece of rebar, Andrzej Korpikiewicz cleaned off the leeches, snails, and shrimp clinging to it — and revealed a sword.
Andrzej KorpikiewiczAndrzej Korpikiewicz was walking along the Vistula River when he suddenly noticed a metal object peaking out of the water.
A fisherman recently found a remarkably well-preserved medieval sword while walking along the Vistula River in Warsaw, Poland.
Despite dating back centuries, the sword remains almost completely intact and is only missing its pointed tip. The other end of the sword features a spherical knob at the pommel and a cross-like symbol midway down the hilt.
The sword is now in the hands of the Metal Conservation Workshop of the State Archaeological Museum, where it will undergo further study.
The Medieval Sword Fished Out Of Poland’s Vistula River
Fisherman Andrzej Korpikiewicz was actually not even fishing when he stumbled upon the artifact. Korpikiewicz had gone to see the historically low water levels of the Vistula River in Poland’s capital city, the Miami Herald reported.
While walking along the river, Korpikiewicz noticed something made of metal in the water. Initially believing it to be an old hinge or a piece of rebar, he fished it out of the water.
After cleaning off some of the mud, as well as leeches, snails, and shrimp, Korpikiewicz uncovered a cross-like symbol, one perhaps linked to the famous Knights Templar, on this rusty piece of metal. He then realized that what he’d found was probably not an old hinge after all.
Warsaw Conservator of Monuments/FacebookThe sword features a cross-shaped design about midway down the hilt.
“I knew then that this would probably be a more interesting find and immediately thought that it should be given to someone who knows more about these kinds of things,” Korpikiewicz told Polish news outlet TVP World.
The only issue was he had taken an electric scooter to the river and didn’t have the ability to safely transport the artifact, so Korpikiewicz hid the sword in a nearby patch of grass and returned later with his car.
But before transporting the sword, Korpikiewicz called up a friend of his who was a metal detectorist and knew a thing or two about caring for historical relics. His friend told him that he needed to keep the sword wet in order to prevent it from deteriorating.
So, Korpikiewicz wrapped the sword in t-shirts soaked in river water and stored it in his car. The next day, he and his wife delivered it to the office of the Warsaw Conservator of Monuments, Michał Krasucki.
“We (were) met with great surprise and excitement,” Korpikiewicz said. “People spend years looking for this sort of thing, but I came across it completely by accident.”
The Preservation Of The Medieval Marvel Found By Andrzej Korpikiewicz
Andrzej KorpikiewiczAndrzej Korpikiewicz, the finder of the sword, delivering it to the conservator’s office.
Krasucki not only praised the sword itself, but also Korpikiewicz for his quick thinking in both preserving and reporting the find.
“The finder brought it to us as quickly as possible, thus fulfilling his statutory obligation—it’s great that he knew what to do,” Krasucki said.
People in Poland are required to turn over artifacts to state conservators, ensuring that finds are properly preserved and analyzed.
Warsaw Conservator of Monuments/Facebook“People spend years looking for this sort of thing, but I came across it completely by accident,” said Andrzej Korpikiewicz.
“The sword is preserved almost along its entire length, with a characteristic spherical head and an intriguing sign of the cross on the handle.” Krasucki described. “We confirmed that it is a medieval sword. We will know more after further analysis.”
The sword is now at the Metal Conservation Workshop of the State Archaeological Museum, where it is undergoing further study.
What’s more, Andrzej Korpikiewicz is not the only person to stumble upon a sword or other astonishing archaeological discovery in Poland in recent years.
In February of 2025, metal detectorists found a 2,000-year-old Roman sword in a forest while looking for artifacts from World War II. About a month later, a Polish farmer stumbled across a 2,500-year-old necklace while making a path for his pasture.
In the past, low water levels in the Vistula River have led to the discovery of other important historical artifacts as well, including another sword in 2024. Now, with the river at historically low water levels, more archaeological finds may be revealed.
In the words of Michał Krasucki, “The Vistula River still hides many treasures.”
After reading about the medieval sword fished out of the Vistula River, read about the sword that was found in a sewer in Denmark. Then, read about how a Polish man stumbled upon a 4,500-year-old axe in a raspberry bush.
