The Virtual Museum of Archaeology

The Virtual Museum of Archaeology is one of the actions performed within the project: Baltic Odyssey – Creation of common historical and cultural area. The project is co-financed by the European Union, under the European Neighbourhood Instrument.

„Baltic Odyssey”

Participation of the city of Olsztyn in the Baltic Odyssey project aims mostly at popularizing its local cultural and historical heritage.

The common cultural and historical area that is to be the main result of the project relates to an increase in the consciousness of that heritage. One of the steps to do so is presenting the objects that have been hidden deeply under the layers of the earth so far.

he objects presented in our Virtual Museum of Archaeology were unearthed in the archaeologic research conducted in the downtown area of Olsztyn within the last twenty years. Those include tiles, cannonballs, coins, and vessels. The research was carried out in the areas by the Old City Hall, by the Upper Gate, by the walls of St Jacob Co-Cathedral and by one of the downtown streets – ul. Lelewela.

Our exhibits

At first, we present twenty-two objects originating from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Apart from seeing their photographs and reading short descriptions, it is also possible to view the digitalized objects from multiple angles using the 3-D graphic animation.

Detailed information on the archaeological excavations in the downtown area of Olsztyn are to be found in the following article by the archaeologist Adam Mackiewicz:

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Descriptions of Excavations That the Displayed Objects Have Been Obtained From - Olsztyn 2020

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The history of archaeological research in the old town of Olsztyn until 2019 - Olsztyn 20

Jug, site 24, unit 117, 15th century

A jug of a cymoid profile and a slightly squat form. Its band lughole starts below the brim and ends where the body is its largest. The upper part of the body decorated with surrounding carvings and slight plastic panel. Burnt in a reductive atmosphere – grey earthenware. Vessel fracture: grey. Damaged: in some places, its external surface is secondarily stained with lime mortar.

Mug, site 24, unit 117, 15th century

A mug of a slight cymoid profile, covered with brown coating inside. The external surface covered with carvings. Its band lughole starts at the brim and ends just above where the body is its largest. The bottom is flat with its edge marked by a roll. Burnt in oxidizing atmosphere. Vessel fracture: bricky.

Coin – one-and-a-half crown by Sigismund III Vasa, site 24, unit 110 G, 1624.

Obverse: a five-field escutcheon with Polish and Lithuanian coats of arms; Vasa’s coat of arms (a sheaf) in the middle; legend: SIGIS 3 DGREX PMDL
Reverse: an orb with a cross and number 24; legend: MONE NO REG POLO; a date coined next to the orb: 24.

Coin – Prussian liege shilling by Wilhelm Hohenzollern, site 24, unit 110 F, 1654.

Obverse: an eagle with Vasa’s coat of arms on its chest; text around: FRID WILH MAR BR. S. PR EL.
Reverse: monogram: FW; the Hohenzollerns’ coat of arms under it; text around: SOLIDUS PR. USSIAE 1654.

See all the exhibits