Prussian cannonballs from the 18th century found

Seekers of militaria accidentally came across an unusual find in Włocławek. During the construction of a rowing boat harbour at the estuary of the Zgłowiączka river to the Vistula, they found Prussian cannon balls that were sunk in the Vistula over 200 years ago during the Kosciuszko Uprising.

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According to the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province conservator of monuments, he received information about the unusual discovery from a man who saw the Prussian ammunition in one of the scrap yards. The conservator declared that an official archaeological survey of the construction site will be carried out quickly. The help of divers, whose task will be to examine the Vistula stream, will also be necessary.

Historians will explain the origin of the bullets. For now, it is known that the bullets are the remains of a huge transport of artillery ammunition, which was floated down the Vistula by the Prussian army besieging Warsaw in 1794. On 22 August, 13 Prussian galleys were sunk, which were attacked by the townsfolk of Włocławek under the command of Canon Jezierski.

Monuments conservators have found four artillery shells, which will soon be donated to the Włocławek museum. The largest of them weighs about 50 kilograms. The collections of the Włocławek History Museum already include several bullets from the sunken transport.

It will soon be possible to carry out thorough archaeological research and further search for sunken inland vessels that sailed on the Vistula at that time. Apparently, the finds collected by amateur militaria have already appeared in online auctions, but museum workers emphasise and appeal that the bullets, above all, have great historical value as a testimony to Włocławek’s past.

Source: ddwloclawek.pl

Photo: dawnywloclawek.pl