Sroda treasure
Encyclopedia
Sroda Slaska
Środa Śląska is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Środa Śląska County, and of the smaller administrative district called Gmina Środa Śląska. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and is mostly kept in the Regional Museum in Środa Śląska.
Discovery and Excavation
Gold and silver coins were discovered during demolition of an old building in the town of Środa on 8 June 1985. The authorities secured the original find (a vase filled with approximately 3,000 Prague groschen), however, no serious archaeological study was carried out at that time. Three years later, on 24 May 1988, during another demolition in the vicinity of the first discovery, another, even bigger find was reported (including silver and gold florin coins). Most of this new find disappeared before the site was secured by the authorities. In the following days, as enterprising individuals scoured the municipal landfill where rubble from other recently demolished buildings was deposited, reports of more discoveries started appearing; those include the first reports of jewelry.Archaeologists began to investigate the site, and the government announced a plan to buy back items that had been looted. Later, a criminal investigation was launched, targeting those who still refused to turn back the items they had taken. Although many items were recovered, it is agreed that there are still missing items. Looted items have been recovered intermittently.
History
Over the following years, archaeologists and historians have speculated about the treasure's origins, while museums and wealthy individuals have competed for pieces of the treasure.It is now agreed that the treasure most likely belonged to the Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
of the House of Luxemburg. Around 1348, needing funds to support his claim to the Emperorship, Charles pawned various items to the Jewish banker Muscho (Mojżesz, Moishe) in Środa (the town of Środa was then part of the Duchy of Wrocław (Breslau,) which had recently passed under Charles reign). Soon afterwards, the black plague visited Środa. Mojżesz was not heard of again and it is believed that he either fled from the plague-struck town, died of plague, or perhaps fell victim to pogroms as Jews were blamed for spreading the plague
Consequences of the Black Death
The Black Death, the third deadliest pandemic in human history, which peaked in Europe between 1349 and 1351, led to several major social, economic and religious consequences in Europe.-Depopulation:...
. What is certain is that no one ever reclaimed the treasure, which was left hidden somewhere in the town for hundreds of years.
The artifacts
Various recovered items have been cataloged and those that were damaged by the mechanical digger that uncovered them have been restored. Some items were displayed as early as 1985. Since 1995-1997 most of them have been distributed throughout museums in Lower SilesiaLower Silesia
Lower Silesia ; is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to the southeast.Throughout its history Lower Silesia has been under the control of the medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1526...
, Poland. The majority of the items are displayed in the Regional Museum in Środa Śląska, although in the past exhibits were held in museums including the Archeologicial Museum in Wrocław, National Museum in Wrocław (which technically supervises the museum in Środa), National Archeological Museum in Warsaw, as well as abroad, in the Museum of Arttistic Craft in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The treasure is considered immensely valuable, described by some as "one of most valuable archeological finds in 20th century". In 2006 experts noted that it is difficult to put a value on it since there are few items of similar type being auctioned anywhere in the world. One estimate from 2001 put the lowest value of the treasure at 50 million dollars; a book published in 2005 put it at 100 million dollars.
Highlights
The most valuable elements of the treasure include:- a gold woman's crown, which probably belonged to Blanche of ValoisBlanche of ValoisBlanche of Valois was the youngest daughter of Charles of Valois and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillon.-Family:Her paternal grandparents were Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. Her maternal grandparents were Guy IV, Count of Saint-Pol and Marie of Brittany.Marie was a daughter of John...
, one of the wives of the emperor Charles IVCharles IV, Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor.... - two gold pendants, dating to the 12th century
- two gold pendants, dating to the 13th century
- a medieval gold clasp decorated with precious stones
- a ring with heads of dragons
- a ring with sapphire
- a ring with moon and star
- 39 gold coins
- 2924 or 3924 (sources vary) silver coins
Further reading
- Zdzisław Skrok, Skarby Polski, Warszawa 2002, ISBN 83-11-09499-3
- Tomasz Bonek, Przeklęty skarb. Opowieść o klejnotach wartych 100 milionów dolarów, które w PRL wyrzucono na śmietnik, Wrocław 2005, ISBN 83-922160-0-8