Credit: Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum.
It still bears the mark of an isosceles cross in a heraldic shield on the rear bar which must have been the blacksmith’s trademark sign. Other signs might still be etched on the sword, though, concealed under the thick layers of rust. Perhaps the name of the owner is etched somewhere.
Meanwhile, archaeologists from the museum plan on investigating the site where the long sword was found to get more clues. Did it belong to a knight who simply lost it? Was the owner killed and his remains are somewhere close to where the long sword was found? Such questions will hopefully be answered soon.
Credit: Fr. Stanislaw Staszic Museum
“This is a unique find in the region,” said Bartłomiej Bartecki, director of the Fr. Stanislaw Staszic Museum in Hrubieszów. “It’s worth pointing out that while there are similar artifacts in museum collections, their place of discovery is often unknown, and that is very important information for historians and archaeologists.”
Bartecki used this chance to emphasize how important accidental but nevertheless valuable archaeological finds such as this exquisite longsword are. In April, his museum opened an exhibition of 500 items, all of which were handed to the museum by accidental finders.
For now, the medieval longsword is undergoing conservation in Warsaw but will later be returned to become part of the main exhibition at the Museum in Hrubieszów.
