Prosecutors from Świdnica in southwestern Poland have ended their inquiry into coffins discovered in the centre of the city. It's certain that a middle-aged man and woman were buried inside. They had died in the second half of the 19th century. There were no skulls in the coffins.
In February, during construction work at a private property in Świdnica, a piece of wall was uncovered in the ground. It turned out it was a fragment of a crypt, partially filled with dirt. After removing a layer of dirt, the workers saw a coffin. "One they used to make in the 19th century. Covered with zinc sheet, with decorations and ornamented handles" - historian Andrzej Dobkiewicz from Świdnicki Portal Historyczny told TVN24. The coffin looked tightly closed and intact.
The police, prosecutors and historians were called to the scene, and preservation officer was notified. The prosecutor's office launched an inquiry into involuntary manslaughter and the place was examined. A few days after the discovery of the first coffin, another one was found. This time in a worse condition than the first one. It was interfered with and the lid was damaged.
Both coffins were taken to Forensic Medicine Institute in Wrocław, where they were opened. "The examination confirmed that both coffins contained human remains. However, there were no skulls inside. The first coffin found contained bones of a woman aged approx. 55-60, who had died sometime between 1865 and 1870" - said Marek Rusin, the chief of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Świdnica. He added that the other coffin contained bones that had belonged to a male of similar age as the woman, and who had died in the same period.
No items were found the man's coffin, unlike in the other one. Apart from the female bones, fragments of a rosary, parts of a necklace and some buttons were also found. "The experts weren't able to determine the cause of death. What's important, however, is that the remains lacked any details that would suggest involvement of third parties" - Rusin said.
In other words, nothing was found that would suggest the person buried in Świdnica had died as a result of a crime. The identity of the buried persons could not be determined.
Mostly well-off people and some clergymen had been buried at the St. Nicholas cemetery. "Also some of those more affluent residents of Świdnica had been buried here, those who had fallen victim to cholera epidemic, which haunted this city twice" - Sobiesław Nowotny from Świdnicki Portal Historyczny wrote in February.
After the war, just like in most of other former German cities in the Recovered Territories, the cemetery was razed to the ground and turned into a park - that was because German graves had been reminding the newcomers about previous residents of their cities.
Why the remains lacked skulls? This remains a mystery. It's possible, however, that the burial place had been looted or desecrated.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvn24.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Regional Prosecutor's Office in Świdnica