Finding the relics of the non-commissioned officer’s villa, uncovering the entire utility building of the Military Transit Depot or the precise location of the remains of the ammunition shelter are the goals of the next stage of archaeological research at Westerplatte in Gdańsk. Archaeologists will also look for the remains of a legionnaire Mieczysław Krzak and the position of a Polish field cannon. The work of the researchers will last until November.
May 9 The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk has started the next, tenth stage of archaeological research at Westerplatte. The works are scheduled to last until November 7 this year. Within six months, museum archaeologists will examine an area of 1,405 sq m.
As the museologists inform, “the aim of the next stage of work is to discover and document the relics of the non-commissioned officer’s villa with the guardhouse No. 3, to unveil the entire utility building of the Military Transit Depot (the so-called Mikołajew), to record the course and condition of the concrete foundation of the northern section of the so-called red wall marking the boundary of the WST and precise location of the relics of the ammunition shelter No. 9”. Archaeologists will also continue the search for the position of the Polish field cannon (the so-called putilowka) and the remains of the legionnaire Mieczysław Krzak who died near the Fort outpost. “In addition, facilities will be established in the area polls research in order to recognize the range of Polish shooting positions. Survey excavations are also planned in places selected on the basis of the analysis of archival photographs and the results of geophysical research in the vicinity of the farm building ‘Mikołajewa’, the Museum of the Second World War informed.
Work is underway as part of the 10th stage of archaeological research at WesterplatteMIIWŚ
In addition, as part of the current stage of archaeological research, as in previous works, small metal artefacts will be searched on an area of 1 ha with the use of metal detectors.
11 hectares cleared of explosives
So far, as part of the nine previous stages of research conducted at Westerplatte, an area of 5,781.4 sq m has been thoroughly examined. An area of over 11 hectares was cleared of explosives and hazardous materials of military origin.
“An archaeological supervision was also carried out over the construction of the Polish Army Soldiers’ Cemetery, and from autumn 2022 supervision related to the modernization and adaptation of the building of the former WST power plant for exhibition purposes has been carried out,” the release reads.
Main photo source: MIIWŚ