Archaeologists carrying out preliminary work ahead of a planned renovation of the abandoned 18th-century synagogue in Wieliczka, Poland have discovered a “treasure chest” full of ritual items and other precious material buried under the synagogue floor.
Local media reported that the wooden chest measured 80 cm high, 70 cm wide and 130 cm long and was found buried under the floor near a wall in the eastern part of the synagogue. An article by Stuart Dowell in The First News said the archaeologists were digging a test hole when they noticed an edge of the chest.
The reports described it as crammed tight with around 350 objects — including “a silver goblet, five candlesticks, elements of four or five unscrewed brass chandeliers, two probably silver-plated candlesticks and two large bronze vessels with decorative handles and Hebrew inscriptions, as well as badges from the caps of infantry officers of the Austro-Hungarian army.”
Photos show what looks like a small Torah breastplate and yad pointer.
There was no indication as to why the material had been hidden or when, but the reports said the trove probably dated from the 19th century.
“The hoard was found barely two months ago, and there are still plenty of things to be done, including the conservation of finds,” Dr. Michał Wojenka, from the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University, who is supervising the works, told JHE in an email.
They said the discovery was made by accident by archaeologists who were working to reveal the original 17th century floor level in preparation for renovation works that the Krakow Jewish community, which owns the building, hoped to initiate. A local monuments protection body had awarded a grant of around €24,000 for this work. The reports said the Jewish community estimated costs for potential general renovation of the building to be around €1 million.
The reports quoted Dr. Wojenka as saying that “This is very preliminary work related to the planned renovation of the monument,” adding that very little information existed about the synagogue’s interior design and architectural details.
The Wieliczka synagogue, built of brick and stone, is believed to date from the mid-18th century. It was devastated by the Nazis and used as a warehouse after WW2 before being totally abandoned. According to Virtual Shtetl it was rebuilt after WW2, “removing internal ceilings and surviving decorations, and collapsing the roof.”
Some basic preservation and repair work was carried out in 1980 to strengthen the walls and roof, and in 1987 the building was put on the list of national monuments.
Click to read extensive report — with photos — in English on First News
Click to read report in local media in Polish
2 comments on “Poland: “Treasure chest” crammed with hundreds of ritual objects and other material uncovered during preliminary restoration work at the 18th century Wieliczka synagogue”
Maybe they buried the objects due to a pogrom?
Must have been very exciting to find all those objects.
Luckily it hadn’t been found by some other group beforehand.