Nazi Time Capsule From 1934 Unearthed in Present Day Poland

Image by City of Zlocieniec

By Josefin Dolsten September 20, 2016

— Archaeologists in Poland have unearthed a Nazi time capsule circa 1934 that contained images of Adolf Hitler, newspapers and other artifacts.

The archaeologists had been aware for years of the existence of the time capsule, which was buried underground, but had not been able to reach the copper cylinder container, according to The Independent.

The capsule was located earlier this month in the northwestern town of Zlocieniec, which was part of Germany during World War II, and is believed to have been hidden during the construction of a building used to train Nazis. The archaeologists had to cut through various obstacles, including concrete and German mines, to reach the capsule, which they opened using a chainsaw.

In addition to photographs of Hitler and newspapers, it contained two copies of the Nazi leader’s manifesto, “Mein Kampf,” as well as coins and material promoting the town of Zlocieniec, which was referred to by its former German name, Falkenberg, according to The European Pressphoto Agency.

The capsule is being kept by the National Museum in Szczecin, also in northwestern Poland, where its contents will be shown to the public, according to The Independent.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO