Archaeologists have confirmed the discovery of a long-forgotten medieval town hidden beneath woodland near the settlement of Zagrody, close to Sławoborze in Poland.
The site has been identified as Stolzenberg, a short-lived urban centre likely founded in the late 13th or early 14th century and abandoned under circumstances that remain unclear.
The breakthrough comes after several years of interdisciplinary research led by the Relicta Foundation. Although the earliest known written references to Stolzenberg date to the 16th century, 19th-century German publications first suggested that the remnants of a deserted town lay near Sławobórz. Those historical accounts mentioned surviving earthworks and field names such as “Alt Stadt” (Old Town) and “Hospital,” hinting at a lost urban settlement.
Initial archaeological confirmation emerged in 2020–2021 through controlled metal-detecting surveys conducted with support from the “Parsęta” Exploration and Search Group from Kołobrzeg. Researchers recovered more than 400 metal artefacts dating from the late 13th to 15th centuries. Finds included tools, belt fittings, clasps and several coins — among them medieval bracteates from Strzałowo and Szczecin, as well as a denarius of Duke Barnim II — providing compelling evidence of organised settlement and economic activity.
Comprehensive non-invasive investigations carried out in 2025 significantly expanded understanding of the site. These included geophysical prospection, drone-based LiDAR scanning and geological drilling. The results revealed a clearly defined urban layout preserved beneath forest cover.
Within an area of approximately six hectares, enclosed by a rampart and moat, archaeologists recorded more than 1,500 subsurface anomalies indicating buried structural remains. Core drilling confirmed cultural layers exceeding two metres in depth.
According to Piotr Wroniecki of the Relicta Foundation, some features form a regular plan characteristic of towns founded under German law during the medieval colonisation period. The data suggest a central market square surrounded by burgher plots, a partially developed street grid and a main thoroughfare leading toward a city gate.
The exceptional state of preservation is attributed to the site’s continued forestation and lack of modern development. The defensive moat remains visible and measures approximately 5.5 metres in depth, while the ramparts are still clearly defined in the terrain.
Preliminary radiocarbon analysis indicates that the town was active in the first decades of the 14th century, though it may have been established slightly earlier. Scholars consider the Margraves of Brandenburg — rulers of the nearby Neumark region — the most probable founders, possibly establishing Stolzenberg as a frontier settlement. The involvement of the bishops of Kamień remains a secondary hypothesis.
Despite the clarity of the town’s layout, the reasons for its abandonment remain unresolved. Researchers caution that urban decline in the medieval period typically resulted from multiple interacting factors, including economic marginalisation, shifts in trade routes, environmental pressures or military conflict.
The 2025 investigations were co-financed by Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Further non-invasive and survey-based studies are planned in future seasons, with particular focus on locating the church and cemetery mentioned in records from 1291. Establishing their position may provide crucial insights into the town’s social and spatial organisation — and potentially shed light on why Stolzenberg disappeared from the medieval map.
Header Image Credit : P. Wroniecki
Sources : PAP
