Archaeologists working in the centre of Warsaw have uncovered the remains of a pre-war tenement house and an extraordinary collection of objects buried in its cellars, including huge ceiling lamps possibly connected to the historic Warsaw Philharmonic, a bronze horseman, royal portrait ceramics and a signed 19th-century sculptural work.
An archaeological excavation in Warsaw has produced a remarkable collection of finds offering a glimpse into the city before the destruction of the Second World War.
The discoveries were made during work at E. Młynarski Square, on a site that had for years been occupied by a car park and is now being transformed into a green public space.
Initially, attention focused on the foundations of a pre-war tenement house revealed beneath the former parking area. But as archaeologists explored the surviving cellars, the excavation developed into something far more significant.
Hidden among the ruins was a large collection of decorative and everyday objects, some of which may have originated from the nearby Warsaw Philharmonic.
Among the most striking finds are parts of enormous ceiling lamps. Their size and appearance have prompted suggestions that they could once have illuminated the Philharmonic’s main concert hall or foyer.
Fragments of glass, metal fittings and decorative ornaments have also emerged from the cellars, alongside ceramics and numerous smaller objects.
One of the most distinctive pieces is a bronze figurine depicting a rider on horseback. Archaeologists have also discovered fragments belonging to two large ceramic plates decorated with portraits of two of Poland’s best-known monarchs: Sigismund III Vasa and John III Sobieski.
Together, the objects form an unusual collection in which the contents of a pre-war residential building appear to have become mixed with pieces that may have belonged to one of Warsaw’s most important cultural institutions.
A mysterious sculpture from 1881
Among all the objects recovered so far, one of the most intriguing is a sculptural element featuring a man’s head shown in profile.
The work bears the signature of Sławomir Celiński and is dated 1881. It also carries the inscription “Warsaw”.
Celiński was a sculptor associated with Warsaw, making the discovery particularly interesting. However, the date on the object complicates attempts to establish precisely where it came from.
The Warsaw Philharmonic building was constructed considerably later, meaning the sculpture predates it by around two decades. For that reason, archaeologists cannot simply conclude that the piece was originally part of the Philharmonic.
It may have been moved from another building or belonged to the neighbouring tenement house. Alternatively, it could have reached the site through circumstances that are now difficult to reconstruct.
Its presence in the cellar illustrates one of the central challenges facing researchers: although the objects have survived together, they did not necessarily originate from the same place.
A possible link to the Philharmonic
Another discovery could provide a tantalising connection with the historic interior of the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Archaeologists uncovered a metal wreath made from laurel and oak leaves. Decorative wreaths of this kind traditionally carried symbolic significance and were commonly associated with achievement, commemoration, honours and important events.
What makes this particular example especially interesting is its possible resemblance to decorations visible in an archival photograph of the Philharmonic’s interior.
Researchers have raised the possibility that the excavated wreath could be one of the examples seen in the historical image.
For now, however, that connection remains a possibility rather than a confirmed identification. Further examination of the object and comparisons with archival material may help establish whether it genuinely once decorated the Philharmonic.
The same caution applies to the large ceiling lamps and other decorative fragments recovered from the site. Their scale and character make a connection with a major public interior plausible, but archaeological context alone may not be enough to establish their original location.
Objects hidden before Warsaw’s destruction?
The excavation is also revealing evidence of the violent destruction that transformed this part of Warsaw during the Second World War.
It is currently difficult to distinguish between objects that might once have formed part of the Philharmonic’s furnishings and possessions belonging to residents of the neighbouring tenement building.
One possibility is that some of the items were deliberately taken into the cellar and hidden there in an attempt to protect them before the building was destroyed.
Cellars could provide shelter not only for people but also for possessions considered valuable or worth preserving during periods of bombardment, fire and destruction. In this case, however, any attempt to safeguard the objects appears to have been only partially successful.
The building above was completely burnt out.
Evidence of that destruction remains visible on the surviving foundations, where traces of fire can still be seen on the walls.
The same catastrophe that destroyed the building may also explain why such an unusual mixture of objects remained underground for decades. Damaged, buried and eventually covered by the post-war city, they were left largely undisturbed until the present redevelopment brought archaeologists back to the site.
Their rediscovery now offers researchers an opportunity to reconstruct at least part of the story of the buildings and people that occupied this area before the war.
Echoes of pre-war Warsaw
The significance of the excavation lies not simply in the individual value or appearance of the objects.
Taken together, the discoveries provide a physical connection with a Warsaw that was profoundly altered by wartime destruction and subsequent reconstruction.
Decorative ceiling lamps and metal ornaments evoke the elaborate interiors of the city’s cultural institutions. Ceramics and smaller objects offer glimpses of domestic life. The royal portraits reflect the historical and patriotic imagery found in Polish decorative arts, while the signed sculpture provides a direct connection to a named Warsaw artist working in the late 19th century.
At the same time, the scorched foundations surrounding these objects tell another part of the story.
They demonstrate how the material remains of everyday life, art and architecture became entangled with the destruction of the city. Objects that may once have occupied concert halls, foyers or private homes ended up together beneath the ruins, making their individual histories difficult to reconstruct more than 80 years later.
That uncertainty is itself an important part of the archaeological investigation.
Rather than immediately assigning every decorative object to the Philharmonic, researchers must establish where each piece originated, how it reached the cellar and whether it was already there before the war or was deliberately moved there for protection.
Archival photographs, historical inventories and detailed examination of the objects could potentially provide further clues.
More discoveries may still be waiting underground
The excavation is far from over
So far, archaeologists have investigated only part of the area formerly occupied by the car park. A second section is still awaiting examination, raising the prospect that further rooms, foundations and artefacts could soon come to light.
The discoveries already made suggest that the remaining ground could contain additional material connected with the pre-war buildings that once stood in this part of Warsaw.
Further finds could also help researchers answer some of the questions raised by the current excavation. Additional fragments of the ceiling lamps, for example, could make identification easier, while matching decorative pieces might strengthen or weaken the proposed connection with the Philharmonic.
The same applies to the metal wreath and other architectural elements. Finding related objects in a clear archaeological context could help establish whether they belonged to the tenement house, the Philharmonic or another building altogether.
For now, archaeologists are faced with a remarkable collection that brings together art, domestic possessions, architectural decoration and evidence of wartime destruction in a single site.
What began with the discovery of the foundations of a vanished Warsaw tenement has therefore developed into a much broader investigation of the city’s past.
Beneath a space that for decades served an entirely ordinary purpose as a car park, the remains of pre-war Warsaw had survived: scorched walls, fragments of elaborate interiors, ceramics decorated with Polish kings, a bronze rider, a mysterious sculpture dating from 1881 and objects that may once have adorned the Warsaw Philharmonic.
And with a substantial part of the site still to be investigated, the full story of what lies beneath E. Młynarski Square may only now be beginning to emerge.
The archaeological work is being conducted under the supervision of the Warsaw City Conservator of Monuments.
Sources : Mazowiecki Wojewódzki Konserwator Zabytków
