Student stumbles on 500-year-old ruins of knight’s mansion in Poland. Take a look

A grassy, tree-covered hill rises along the countryside in southern Poland. The hill may not look like much from afar, but for centuries it held a buried secret: a knight’s mansion.

The ruined mansion was overlooked and forgotten — until a student came along.

Radosław Zdaniewicz, an archaeologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Lodz, became curious about a mound in the countryside village of Widów, he told Science in Poland in a June 23 news release.

Zdaniewicz had previously researched a medieval manor in the neighboring town of Chechło, according to a 2022 study.

He noticed that very little was known about the mound in Widów despite the area having been chosen for construction of a defensive structure in the Middle Ages, the release said. Previous excavations on the mound had found a few artifacts but nothing noteworthy.

Intrigued, Zdaniewicz grabbed some tools and started digging, the release said. As he dug, he stumbled on the ruins of a 500-year-old mansion.

The 15th century structure had a multi-story manor house and a tall defensive tower, the release said. The mansion was eventually destroyed — possibly from a fire or invasion — and very little remains.

Zdaniewicz uncovered several tile fragments that once decorated the mansion’s stove. The tiles showed St. George fighting a dragon, a popular image among courts in the Middle Ages. Photos show the tan tile pieces.

The pommel, or non-blade portion, of a sword was also unearthed at the mansion, the release said.

These artifacts, along with the structure’s location and design, indicated the mansion once belonged to a medieval knight, Zdaniewicz said. This knight may have served the family who owned the mound in the 15th century.

Other artifacts found at the ruined mansion included part of a copper belt, ceramic fragments and a coin from the 15th century. Photos show some of these items.

Archaeologists plan to continue excavations of the mound and surrounding areas, the release said.

Widów is about 200 miles southwest of Warsaw.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland.

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