Europe’s OLDEST time capsule – dating back to 1797 – is discovered hidden in a Polish church spire, containing coins and building documents
- The capsule was discovered hidden in a church spire during renovation on the building in Ziebice, Poland
- The documents refer to the construction of the 18th century church, written in German and dated 1797
- Photographs dating back to 1902-1903 and 200-year-old coins were also found inside the time capsule
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The oldest time capsule in Europe, and the second oldest in the world, has been found hidden inside a church spire.
The capsule dating back to 1797 was found by workers during renovation work on the 18th century church in the small town of Ziebice in Poland.
Opening it up, town officials found 200-year-old old coins and documents dated 1797 written in German.
The oldest time capsule in Europe, and the second oldest in the world, has been found hidden inside a 18th century church spire in the small town of Ziebice in Poland
Town officials found 200-year-old 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 documents in the capsule include names of the people involved in the building of the church. One was a personal note from two women who donated money for construction. Pictured, one of the documents found in the capsule
One of the only time capsules older than this newly discovered one is the the Boston time capsule, which dates back to 1795 and was found in 2015. Pictured, 200-year-old coins discovered in the Polish time capsule
In the 18th century the town was called Münsterberg and was part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
The town’s mayor Mariusz Szpilarewicz said: ‘All indications are that it may be 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, USA.
‘Our capsule is probably two years younger than the Boston one.’
The capsule was found by workers during renovations of the church (pictured) and the contents were handed over to town officials, who have examined the contents
The capsule was hidden inside the spire of the church (pictured). The town’s mayor Mariusz Szpilarewicz said it may be one of the oldest time capsules found in the world
The Boston time capsule dating back to 1795 was found in 2015 and contained coins and documents dating back even earlier.
The documents in the Polish time capsule relate to the construction of the church which was built in 1797 on the site of a 15th century castle and include names of the people involved in the building of the church as well as donors.
One of the papers was a personal note from two women who donated money for the building of the church.
Alongside the canister, documents and photographs were found dating back to 1902-1903.
The German documents were dated 1797 and will now be fully translated and undergo conservation work before being put on display
The documents in the Polish time capsule relate to the construction of the church which was built in 1797 on the site of a 15th century castle
Documents and photographs were also found dating back to 1902-1903. They include a newspaper Münsterberger Zeitung dated 20 August 1902 and evangelical prayer books
They include a newspaper Münsterberger Zeitung dated 20 August 1902 and evangelical prayer books.
According to officials, they are in a severely damaged condition and probably date from an earlier renovation.
The mayor said: ‘These people wanted to tell us: ‘we were here, we put our heart and life into this, and now you take it over and look after what we left here.’
The documents will now be fully translated and undergo conservation work before being put on display.