Loot from 17th-century siege on palace in Poland found at bottom of river. See it
Nearly 400 years ago, the Villa Regia was the star of Europe.
Considered one of the most magnificent palaces of its time, the elaborate home was built for King Władysław IV in Warsaw, Poland.
Then the Swedish came to tear it down.
During the Swedish Deluge of 1656, the palace was looted and dismantled. Entire architectural structures were pulled apart and removed from the home, leaving only the bare bones of the once-singular palace.
Many of the elements were then carried away, floated away or partially submerged in the nearby Vistula River.
It would be centuries until these elements would be found. Now, they have.
The first items from the Swedes’ loot were discovered in 2011, according to a Sept. 10 news release from the Polish History Museum.
Archaeologists have worked each year to slowly pull the history of Villa Regia from the river, totaling more than 20 tons so far, according to the museum.
Water levels in the Vistula River running through Warsaw have now dropped to a record low, meaning more elements of the palace are exposed than ever before. In some places, there are just 2.7 inches of water.
In the most recent rescue operation, archaeologists recovered a section of arch and a part of a pillar, according to the release.
The arch is a perfect match for a section of the palace’s external staircase, something that historians are working to reconstruct and restore. While just a piece of the entire architectural element, it weighs more than 440 pounds, the museum said.
The pillar is the first of its kind to be recovered from this site, the museum said, so it will allow the research team to gain new measurements and provide valuable context for how the palace once stood.
The goal of the recoveries is to not only pull the pieces out of the river, but to also bring portions of the palace back to life, with some elements being reconstructed, according to the museum.
Casimir Palace now stands at the Warsaw site and houses offices for the University of Warsaw, Notes from Poland reported. The reconstruction of a section of the historical palace is due to finish in 2027 and open as an exhibit from the Polish History Museum.
Hundreds of buildings — from palaces to churches to libraries — were robbed during the Swedish siege, according to the outlet, and many artifacts and items are still held in Swedish museums. Polish officials have made multiple calls for the artifacts to be returned to Poland.
Warsaw is in east-central Poland.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Polish History Museum.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Loot from 17th-century siege on palace in Poland found at bottom of river. See it."
