Archaeologists Get Early Christmas Present
The renovation of Cracow's Main Market Square may be stealing the show at the moment, but just round the corner on Szczepanska street workers have struck gold.
Polish Radio announced this week that excavation work at Szczepanska has revealed an archaeologists dream - an entire thirteenth century artisans workshop lay hidden beneath the layers of mud and grit.
The excavation was being carried out for a new hotel by the Likus group, owners of two luxury hotels in Cracow. The building in question, an expansive yet dilapidated Old Town mansion, had been lying empty for some years now.
Excavation of this kind is obligatory on sites of historic note (a factor that was by-passed by a certain international hotel that recently popped up near the castle).
During the process of the Szczepanska dig, evidence was also found to confirm claims by archaeologists that the plot had once housed a property owned by the Abbot of Mogila, the thirteenth century Cistercian monastery just outside of Cracow.
Mr. Likus donated the bounty to Krakow's archaeological museum, adding another feather to their fine hat. The museum also boasts a notable collection of Egyptian mummies, as well as the legendary Pagan icon 'Swiatowid' which was found by chance in the River Zbrucz a century ago.