A Polish museum has claimed to have discovered the world’s oldest time capsule in a church tower, containing 300-year-old coins, Latin documents and a deformed lead bullet.
The box dates back to 1726 and was discovered during renovation work on the Church of St. Stanislaus, in the small town of Wschowa, in western Poland.
The age of the capsule has not yet been confirmed, but if it actually dates from 1726, that would make the discovery older than the current record holder in the American city of Boston.
The city museum called it a “unique find” and said on social media: “The world’s oldest time capsule found in Wschowa.
“The oldest capsule is in the form of a copper sheet box, bearing the date 1726 engraved on its lid.
The box (pictured here) is believed to date back to 1726 and was discovered during renovation work at St. Stanislaus Church in the small town of Wschowa in western Poland.
The age of the capsule has not yet been confirmed, but if it actually dates from 1726, that would make the discovery older than the current record holder in Boston, United States.
The time capsule was found in the bell tower of St. Stanislaus Church in Wsachowa, western Poland.
“The time capsule consisting of four packets from 1726, 1786, 1884 and 1914 was taken from the sphere at the top of the parish church tower.”
The oldest known time capsule, verified for its age, was discovered in Boston at the Massachusetts State House in 2014, hidden behind a painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.
Inside one of the recently discovered coffins, museum curators found a scroll written in Latin which, when translated, recounted a devastating fire that ravaged the city and reduced the church to ashes.
They also found a lead bullet that had been fired into the coffin and damaged some documents.
In a smaller coffin, they found coins from the 18th and 19th centuries wrapped in newspapers.
The city museum called it a “unique find” and said on social media: “The world’s oldest time capsule found in Wschowa. The oldest capsule is in the form of a copper sheet box, with the date 1726 engraved on its lid.
The museum said: “The time capsule consisting of four packages from 1726, 1786, 1884 and 1914 was taken from the sphere at the top of the parish church tower.”
The capsule was found in the small town of Wschowa, in western Poland.
Inside one of the recently discovered coffins, museum curators found a scroll written in Latin which, when translated, recounted a devastating fire that ravaged the city and reduced the church to ashes.
They also found a lead bullet that had been fired into the coffin and damaged some documents.
The museum said: “Above the lock and at the bottom there is a date stamped three times since the second opening in 1884.
“The bottom was pierced by a small caliber lead bullet found inside the box.
“The smaller coffin contained coins wrapped in newspapers in two separate bundles.”
Museum experts say they will now translate all documents and carefully examine the contents of the latest discovery.
In the 18th century, the town of Wschowa was the second “unofficial capital of Poland”.
In 1793, following the second partition of Poland, the city was attached to the Kingdom of Prussia. It returned to the Poles after the Second World War.
In a small coffin they found coins from the 18th and 19th centuries wrapped in newspapers.
The museum said: “Above the lock and on the bottom there is a date stamped three times from the second opening in 1884. “The bottom was pierced by a small caliber lead bullet found at inside the box.
Museum experts say they will now translate all documents and carefully examine the contents of the latest discovery. In the 18th century, the town of Wschowa was the second “unofficial capital of Poland”.
Meanwhile, Europe’s oldest time capsule was also discovered in Poland in 2020 and dates back to 1797.
It was found in the bell tower of a church in the town of Ziębice, 185 miles south of the most recent discovery.
Upon opening it, city officials found 200-year-old coins and documents dated 1797 written in German.
In the 18th century, the town was called Münsterberg and was part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
The city’s mayor, Mariusz Szpilarewicz, said: “Everything indicates that this is perhaps one of the oldest time capsules found in the world.
“The oldest capsule in the world dates back to the 18th century and was discovered in Boston, United States. Our capsule is probably two years younger than the one in Boston.
Meanwhile, Europe’s oldest time capsule was also discovered in Poland in 2020 and dates back to 1797. It was found in the bell tower of a church in the town of Ziębice (pictured above), in 185 miles south of the most recent discovery.
When opening the capsule discovered in 2020 in Poland, municipal authorities found 200-year-old coins and documents dated 1797 written in German. The city’s mayor, Mariusz Szpilarewicz, said: “Everything indicates that this is perhaps one of the oldest time capsules discovered in the world.”
The world’s oldest capsule was discovered at the Massachusetts State House in Boston in 2014 after crews removed the time capsule from the building’s granite cornerstone.
Inside was an engraved silver plaque proclaiming that the capsule had been hidden in 1795 by Revolutionary War luminaries Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, along with a host of other items.
Originally made of cowhide, the time capsule would have been embedded in the cornerstone when construction of the State Capitol began in 1795. Adams was governor of Massachusetts at the time.
The time capsule was removed in the mid-19th century and its contents transferred to a copper box, Galvin said.
Its removal was due to an ongoing water filtration project in the building.
