Not bombs, but still powerful. Old German juniper gin bottles unearthed in Sulęcin

Na placu budowy znaleziono kilkadziesiąt kamionkowych butelek
Sulęcin. Sewage system construction workers discovered quite an "arsenal"
Źródło: Hubert Augustyniak/Muzeum Archeologiczne w Świdnicy koło Zielonej Góry

Quite an "arsenal" was discovered at a sewage system construction site in Sulęcin (Lubuskie Voivodeship). The works in the central part of town led to unearthing of a small cellar, stored in which was a find at a first glance resembling unexploded bombs. Luckily, it turned out the objects were only stoneware bottles, which had once contained a certain herbal liquor.

An unusal find unearthed in Sulęcin (Lubuskie Voivodeship). Construction of a sewage system in the area within the old city walls has been going on for some time now. The investment is quite large and is being carried out in a place of historical significance. The construction workers have already found a fragment of the old wall. Now, they return with another discovery.

Several dozen of stoneware bottles were found at the construction site
Several dozen of stoneware bottles were found at the construction site
Źródło: Hubert Augustyniak/Muzeum Archeologiczne w Świdnicy koło Zielonej Góry

Well-stocked cellar

On Monday (April 11), the crew was using an excavator when they came across a buried cellar of a no longer existing tenement house. Most likely, the building was demolished after the WWII. It turned out there was a nook in the cellar, in which someone had stocked bottles which had once contained juniper gin. Quite a lot of them - some 40-50 whole bottles and plenty of broken pieces.

"Unfortunately, all of them were empty and lacked original sealing. They only contained a bit of water which somehow got inside. The labels found on the bottles suggest that they most likely contained juniper gin produced in Steinhagen, near Wuppertal. It appears that the company still exists today," Hubert Augustyniak of Archeological Musuem in Świdnica, who is the archeological supervisor of the investment, told tvn24.pl.

Thanks to the preserved labels, it was possible to find out what the bottles had once contained
Thanks to the preserved labels, it was possible to find out what the bottles had once contained
Źródło: Hubert Augustyniak/Muzeum Archeologiczne w Świdnicy koło Zielonej Góry

What else is known about this liquor? "They received multiple awards at international contests. The information on the labels confirms this. One award was from the 19th century, whereas another one from 1910," Augustyniak added.

For the time being, the bottles will be placed in the museum's storeroom. They will undergo conservation and be secured. Who knows, maybe they will displayed at an exhibition one day. After the bottles were removed, the crew could continue building the sewage system.

The bottles were empty
The bottles were empty
Źródło: Hubert Augustyniak/Muzeum Archeologiczne w Świdnicy koło Zielonej Góry
See also: