This is the mysterious time capsule buried by former Prussian King Frederick William IV and unearthed by workers demolishing a 19th-century bridge that was once the biggest in the world.
The discovery took place at the Tczew Bridge in the northern Polish town of the same name when demolition workers found a time capsule put there by the Prussian King Frederick William IV in 1851.
Underneath the capsule was the cornerstone, symbolically laid on top of a commemorative plaque on 27th July 1851 by the king himself.
Council official Marcin Stolarski told local media: “The company carrying out the bridge works discovered a time capsule and the cornerstone.
“For now, we do not know what is inside the capsule. We have entrusted it to specialists to check its contents.”
Historian Lukasz Brzadkowski said: “It may contain a letter written by the king, commemorative medals or jewellery items. The capsule is heavy, but most importantly everything seems to be airtight.”
The significance of the Tczew Bridge in the mid-19th century was huge as the 837-metre-long structure was the longest in Europe and one of the biggest in the world.
In April 2000, the bridge was closed for pedestrian and vehicular traffic due to poor condition.
It is not yet known when the time capsule will be opened.
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Story By: Bartosz Staszewski, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
