Archeologists Discover Old World War Arsenal during Renovations for Museum

Krosno, Poland A cache of munitions, some believed to date back to WWI, were discovered during renovation work in a historic tenement in the Polish city of Krosno. Archaeologists discovered the artifacts in the basement of a 19th-century building that is being converted into the new headquarters for the Museum of Crafts.

In a social media statement, the museum said the find included around 80 pieces of ordnance in what is likely an "arsenal dating back to the First and Second World Wars," according to Marta Rymar, director of the museum.

The cache included parts of firearms, gas masks and other military equipment, as well as several TNT-filled grenades. Rymar said the weapons were found beneath a thin layer of soil in one of the basement rooms of the building.

"When we went down to the basement, it turned out that the entrance to one of the rooms had been bricked up," she said. "After breaking it open, we saw that it was the only place without a concrete floor, just earth. We assumed work there would be quickest  it was enough to remove the top layer of soil."

They quickly realized, however, that the dirt floor concealed an arsenal of weapons. Rymar said, "It looked as if someone had hastily thrown the weapons into a shallow pit and covered them with soil. It is difficult to say whether the entrance to the basement was sealed immediately after the weapons were hidden or later."

Police and regional heritage conservation authorities responded to secure the site, and a specialized sapper team safely removed the live grenades.

The site is still under investigation as the historical significance of this interesting find and the building itself continues to be evaluated.