Trove of documents found in a walled up room

Construction workers discovered a walled up room during renovation works at a former textile plant in Bolków, South-West Poland. The room was filled with tens of documents dating to the 1940s.

Shelves with the documents (by Stowarzyszenie Lehm)

The walled up compartment was discovered after construction workers noticed that one room has different dimensions on a plan than in reality. A hole was made in the suspicious wall and two rooms were found behind it. First of the rooms looks like a technical room, while in the other tens of documents were discovered. Initial assessment of the find reveals that these are documents dating back to 1944-45. They include technical documentation, personal files, and production details, mostly written in German. It is believed that they were made during the period when the factory was turned over to the Polish side by Germans. Some of the documents seem to address planned production before and after World War 2 within the Hill of Ryszard (Wzgórze Ryszarda, known also as Wilhelmshöhe) – the most distinctive hill in Bolków’s nearest vicinity. The documents seem to have been deliberately stored and hidden, and some of them have been segregated. Some of them are still packed.

Entrance to the room (by Stowarzyszenie Lehm)

The building was constructed in 1875 and housed a textile plant and a textile school. Some of the rooms were used for production, and some as offices. A part of the building is still used for textile production at present. The renovation works were carried out in connection with future adaptation of the building for an educational centre.

Close up of the documents (by Stowarzyszenie Lehm)

(after RMF24 & Stowarzyszenie Lehm)

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