The copper coffin with the body of Johann Winckler – the 17th-century mayor of Lubań (Lower Silesia), was excavated by archaeologists at Lompy Square in the city center.
Archaeological excavations were carried out in connection with the renovation of the square and the Trinitarian Tower. The coffin with the remains of the then mayor of Lauban – Johann Winckler – was found on Monday, as reported on the website of the Luban municipality.
Archaeologists discovered a coffin with the body of the 17th-century mayor of LubańMunicipal Office in Lubań
They have no doubt that it is the mayor
The copper coffin containing the remains of Winckler, who ruled Lubań in the 17th century, is richly decorated and bears a noble coat of arms. The coffin was opened in the Lubań mortuary. “The coat of arms, decorative clothes inside and wigs leave no doubt that the remains of Johann Winckler have been discovered” – it is reported on the website of the City Hall in Lubań.
“The lack of jewels is not surprising. Winckler was a Protestant, so it dictated modesty. The wigs on his head and placed at the feet of the corpse were related to the position held by Winckler,” said the director of the Regional Museum in Lubań, Dr. Łukasz Tekiela.
The coffin contains the body of Johann Winckler – the mayor of 17th-century Lubań Municipal Office in Lubań
Tekiela in his study “With Lubań in the biography. A selection of biographies on the occasion of 800 years of Lubań” wrote that Winckler was a distinguished mayor and trustee of Lubań. “He studied in Lubań, Szczecin and Leipzig (philosophical and legal studies). He returned to Lubań in 1637. First, he was entrusted with a notary office, and soon he became a councilor. In 1640 he took up the position of trustee, 12 years later he became mayor,” wrote the director Lubań museum.
The coffin was found during archaeological excavations in Lompy Square Municipal Office in Lubań
The municipality will fund a new coffin and a tombstone
According to information published on the town hall's website, Lubań will provide the 17th century mayor with a new coffin, and after the reburial, the centuries-old mayor will also receive a tombstone.
Main photo source: Municipal Office in Lubań