In an extraordinary twist of fate, a forest ranger in east central Poland stumbled upon a treasure that could rewrite local history. Bogusław Szwichtenberg, a forestry worker, was patrolling a quiet wooded road near the village of Guzów in April 2025 when he spotted two unassuming clay pots nestled by the roadside. What he uncovered inside was nothing short of breathtaking: a dazzling hoard of over 6,000 silver coins, gleaming with secrets from centuries past.
Szwichtenberg promptly turned the find over to the Archaeological Museum of the Middle Oder in Zielona Góra, where experts are now meticulously working to preserve this remarkable discovery. According to the museum’s recent announcement on their Facebook page, the coins, though tarnished and clumped together in lumps, are in surprisingly good condition for their age. Early analysis suggests they date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, offering a tangible glimpse into Poland’s early modern era.
Barbara Bielinis-Kopeć, the Lubuskie Provincial Conservator of Monuments and a specialist in archaeological preservation, revealed that the hoard contains 5,370 smaller coins, known as denarii, and 787 larger ones, called Prague groschen. The oldest coin identified so far was minted in 1516, while the youngest bears a date of 1612. However, Bielinis-Kopeć cautioned that not all coins have been cleaned yet, and further study could refine the dating. “For now, they are easily separated,” she told Polish news site Science & Scholarship in Poland (PAP), “but only at the end of the conservation work will we know if we can separate all of them without damage.”
The discovery site, tucked away beside an ancient road connecting two small towns, has been designated an archaeological study location. This hidden treasure trove hints at the bustling trade and travel that once animated this now-quiet corner of Poland. The find is already being hailed as the most significant of its kind in the modern-day Lubuskie province, a region rich with historical surprises.
Poland is no stranger to such remarkable discoveries. The famous “Treasure of Głogów,” unearthed in 1987, remains one of the country’s largest medieval finds, with over 20,000 silver coins, thousands of coin fragments, and seven silver bars dating to the 11th and 12th centuries. Believed to have belonged to a wealthy cleric or knight, the Głogów hoard underscored the city’s historical importance as a hub for church and state. More recently, 2025 has proven a banner year for Polish archaeology, with finds ranging from an 18th-century sex toy in Gdańsk’s latrines to a Scythian treasure site at a ceremonial spring and a vast Roman-era burial ground with “princely graves.”
As conservation efforts continue, the Guzów coin hoard promises to reveal more about Poland’s past. Each coin, painstakingly cleaned and cataloged, is a piece of a larger puzzle, offering clues about the economic, cultural, and social life of the time. The Archaeological Museum of the Middle Oder plans to share further details as the restoration progresses, ensuring this spectacular find takes its rightful place in the tapestry of Poland’s rich history.