Team of researchers exploring the underground structures of Festung Küstrin, Kostrzyń nad Odrą, West Poland, discovered a cache of personal belongings that were left by a person who probably fled the building before an air raid.

The team of explorers from the Perkun Association (Stowarzyszenie Perukun), working together with the Museum of Festung Küstrin (Muzeum Twierdzy Kostrzyń) are exploring the underground remains of former buildings, which were destroyed in 1945. In a passageway between the Jatki Street and Rynek they managed to locate underground structures in which they discovered a cache of personal belongings. The area was previously known for other finds, including jewellery, objects of everyday use, and weapons.

Now, the researchers uncovered cellars, belonging once to administrative buildings of the complex. It is believed that the Town Hall was located here, and was used during the war by soldiers. In one of the rooms a trove of belongings was discovered, possibly left by some soldier when he escaped – as the researchers believe – due to an air raid. The cache included remains of a briefcase and a wallet, cologne water, shaving razor, soapbox still with a soap, and a toothbrush hidden in a salt shaker. The objects were discovered in a narrow room, next to the remains of a bed. Two pair of boots were uncovered close by.

Within the wallet a receipt for bedclothes, and documents with NSDAP stamps were found, indicating that the men might have been a German officer responsible for decorating other soldiers with medals. Among other finds are German medals and a French MAS 35 machine gun. Its discovery is labelled as a surprise by the researchers. According to Jarosław Stróżniak from Perkun Association, it seems that during the defence of Festung Küstrin all available weapons were used. The researchers earlier found revolvers and shotguns.

(after TVN24)