Lost royal palace destroyed in bloody invasion resurfaces in river, archaeologists say

The Museum of Polish History announced the discovery in a Sept. 10 press release. The artifacts were uncovered in the Vistula River in Warsaw, and were connected to the 17th-century royal residence Villa Regia.

Officials described Villa Regia as "one of the most magnificent palaces of 17th-century Europe," before it was looted and destroyed during the Swedish Deluge, which lasted from 1655 to 1660.

In 1656, Swedish troops took valuables from the palace and attempted to sail away - but their vessel sank in the Vistula River before they made it out of Warsaw.

Among the artifacts retrieved was a fragment of an arcade arch that weighs more than 440 pounds.

Archaeologists also found the fragment of a pillar's capital, or top, which was "previously unknown in the context of finds from this site," per officials.

"[The finds] will allow new measurements and provide valuable information for reconstructing the royal residence Villa Regia," the museum added.

"All recovered fragments have been secured and transferred to the collections of the Museum of Polish History, where they will undergo further conservation and research."

Krzysztof Niewiadomski, the Museum of Polish History's deputy director of programs, said that he plans to reconstruct the palace staircase with the artifacts that were retrieved.

"With this monumental structure, we will tell the story of the power and wealth of the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and, by referring to the Swedish Deluge, about the crisis of the state," he noted.

Poland has been the setting of several exciting archaeological discoveries in 2025.