Remains of tenement houses unearthed in city’s historic centre

Archaeologists uncovered foundations of 19th-cent. tenement houses located at the foot of the castle hill in Szczecin, North-West Poland.

Foundations of tenement houses (by Marcin Bielecki)

The excavations were conducted in an area between the  (Fish Market) street and a parallel Panieńska street. Prior to World War 2 private tenement houses exited there, and a hotel stood at the site until 2008. Archaeologists established that the Targ Rybny street was twice wider in the Medieval times than it is now. The buildings stood about 8 metres away from the present alignment of the street. According to Sławomir Słowiński, National Museum in Szczecin, this might prove that an actual market was located there. The archaeologists did not uncover any remains of Medieval buildings in the lowest levels of the uncovered structures. They link it with the siege of the town by the Brandenburgians in half of 17th century, which led to destruction of original Medieval buildings. New structures were erected at the site, but they also did not survive and a tenement house was built there in the 19th century. They were destroyed during 1944-1945 air raids by the Allied forces.

The excavations also led to a discovery of remains of a rampart that encompassed the city in the early 13th century. Within the houses archaeologists uncovered numerous artefacts, such as glass bottles, porcelain vessels, spring of a carriage, ceramic tiles, and part of a metal meat grinding machine that was used for sausage production. It turned out that a meat shop named Wurstfabrik, belonging to the Freybe family, existed there since 1844.

(after Marcin Bielecki & Nauka w Polsce)

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