ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009-2012

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ŚWIATOWIT •X (LI)/B • 2012
241
HUBERT KOWALSKI
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER
NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
he Swedish invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth during the Second Northern War (1655–
1660) led to the economic ruin of the country.1In the
course of the invasion, also known as the “Swedish
Deluge,” hundreds of cities and towns were devastated.
There is no doubt that Warsaw suffered the heaviest
losses among all urban centres which were affected by
plunder. In the years 1655–1657 the city was robbed
not only of its book, painting, and archival collections,
sculptural decorations or items of artistic craftsmanship.
Architectural details, such as ornamental loggias, splendid
staircases, window framings and paved floors also fell prey
to robbery. During the occupation a few dozen ships load-
ed with robbed works of art left the city. It frequently
oc-
curred that Swedish troops lost some of vessels transport
ing
this booty. Due to weather conditions, as well as to
changes
in the water level of the Vistula, lighters often crashed
1
For the issue of robberies and destructions caused by Swedish
troops see M. NAGIELSKI ET AL. (eds.), Zniszczenia szwedzkie na
terenie Korony w okresie potopu 1655–1660 (Swedish Destructions
in the Territory of the Crown in the Period of the So-Called Deluge,
1655–1660), Warszawa 2015; W. KRAWCZUK, Samuel
Pufendorf
and Some Stories of the Northern War 1655–1660,
Kraków 2014;
P. Skrowoda, Wojny Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów
ze Szwecją
(Wars of the Commonwealth of Both Nations Against Sweden),
Warszawa 2007, 197–207; J. PRUSZYŃSKI, Dziedzictwo kultury Polski,
jego straty i ochrona prawna (Poland’s Cultural Heritage, its Losses
and Legal Protection), vol. 1, Kraków 2001, 239; a series of papers
in: K. LEPSZY ET AL.(eds.), Polska w okresie drugiej wojny północnej
1655–1660 (Poland in the Period of the Second Northern War
1655–1660), Warszawa 1957.
2H. KOWALSKI, Zatopiony transport dzieł sztuki z czasów potopu
w relacjach historycznych z epoki
(A Sunken Transport of Artworks
from the Time of the “Deluge” in Historical Relations from this
Period), “Przegląd Historyczny” CVI/3, 2015, 565–577; idem,
“Memoriał” Bogusława Radziwiłła do Wilhelma Gordona – nowe
źródło archiwalne dotyczące zatopionych w nurcie Wisły fragmentów
wazowskich rezydencji (A “Memorial” of Bogusław Radziwiłł to
Wilhelm Gordon – a New Archival Source Concerning Fragments
of Vasa Period Residences Sunken in the Vistula), (in:) A. Kamler,
D. Pietrzkiewicz (eds.), Dziedzictwo utracone – dziedzictwo odzyskane
(Heritage Lost – Heritage Recovered), Warszawa 2014, 135–143.
3
A.WEJNERT (ed.), Starożytności Warszawy (Antiquities of Warsaw),
2nd series, vol. 5, Warszawa 1857, 386–387.
4The author of this paper is the organiser of examinations and the
project director. Other participants were Dr Andrzej Osadczuk
(Faculty of Geosciences, University of Szczecin), Dr Piotr
Kuźniar (Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental
Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology), and Dr habil.
Grzegorz Kowalski (Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw).
Examinations were carried out in co-operation with the Ministry
of Culture and National Heritage and the National Heritage
Board. Financial support was also provided by: the Capital City
of Warsaw Municipal Office, the Faculty of History, the Faculty
of Geology and the Institute of Archaeolog y of the University
of Warsaw, as well as by the Graduates’ Club of the University
of Warsaw. Furthermore, in the course of examinations the
researchers co-operated with the National Police Headquarters,
the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters, the Warsaw River
Police Station, the Masovian Headquarters of the State Fire
Service and the District Headquarters of the State Fire Service in
Legionowo, and with engineer troops of the Polish Armed Forces.
T
against stone obstacles lying on the bottom or went
aground. One case of a vessel going aground was recorded
by several documents from this period.2In a letter to King
Jan Kazimierz from 1 September 1656 the city’s Burgo-
master Juliusz Ginther mentioned not only the reason why
the vessel was stopped, but also provided information on
the approximate location of the lost and abandoned
transport. It encompassed pieces of architecture, columns,
marble ornaments and cannons robbed from residences in
Warsaw.3
In 2009, a project “The Vistula River 1655–1906–
2009 – Interdisciplinary examinations of the riverbed” was
started, with the participation of specialists from entire
Poland.4The aim of exploration of the
Vistula
’s riverbed in

the vicinity of the Gdańsk Bridge in Warsaw was to localise
cargos which were sunken in the 17th c. These cargos con-
tained sculptures, details of sculptural and architectural
ornaments, as well as cannons with nearly 40 cannonballs.
As a matter of fact, an indirect aim was to find the place
where in 1906 Warsaw sand miners extracted a few dozen
items from the mentioned 17th c. transport5(Fig. 1).
In the first stage of works an archival query was
carried out, in order to narrow down the area of future
exploration. In result of a hitherto interpretation of 17th c.
relations and pieces of information from the early 20th c.,
search was carried out downstream, several hundred metres
from the actual place of sinking of artefacts.6Surroundings
of the villages of Polków, Potok and Pelcowizna were cor-
rectly pointed out as an area where artefacts went to the
bottom. However, this indication was not precise enough.
It was only thanks to an analysis of memories of the son of
one of the sand miners who worked on the extraction of
part of the abandoned cargo in 1906 that it turned possible
to precisely identify the place where the examinations
should be started. “While working near the Citadel”
and “opposite the Citadel below the fort” – these two
5See W. KOROTYŃSKI, Połów królewski (Royal Haul), “Kurier
Warszawski” No. 144 from 26 May 1906, p. 2–7; [anonymous],
Szczątki Pałacu Królewskiego (Remains of the Royal Palace),
“Kurier Warszawski” No. 192 from 14 July 1906, p. 2; [anony-
mous], Dar dla Muzeum Dawnej Warszawy (A gift for the
Museum of Old Warsaw), “Bluszcz” No. 12 from 1939, p. 22;
[anonymous],
Cenne rzeźby z Pałacu Kazimierzowskiego znalezione
na dnie Wisły (Precious Sculptures from the Kazimierzowski
Palace, Found in the Bottom of the Vistula), “Gazeta Polska”
No. 69 from 1939, p. 8.
6Among others, search was carried out in the 1970s by Piotr
Gazda from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the
Polish Academy of Sciences. However, until present it has not
been possible to find a report from these works in the archive of
the Polish Academy of Sciences.
HUBERT KOWALSKI
242
Fig. 1. Article describing the
extraction of elements
of
stone ornaments, including
the sculpture of a dolphin,
by the sand miners in 1906
(after “Świat,” 1906).
Ryc. 1. Artykuł opisujący wy-
dobycie przez piaskarz y
w 1906 roku elementów de-
koracji kamiennych, w tym
rzeźby delfina.

statements of Władysław Paź/Paś7proved crucial for
further search8(Fig. 2).
The next stage of the project was a query in carto-
graphic resources, which also implied an identification of
the course of the river’s shore line at the turn of the 19th
and 20th c. A comparison of archival data with the relation
of Władysław Korotyński,9the memories of the sand miner
and old maps allowed to select a specific area where the
lighters were damaged and then sank in the 17th c. This is
a sector of the Żoliborz Reef in the 517th kilometre of the
Vistula.10
Then, a research method was chosen. Due to the
fact that more than 350 years have passed since the sinking,
and more than 100 – since the extraction of part of the
cargo by the sand miners, it was necessary to consider not
only the examination of the bottom itself, but also of
what could be found below its surface. The Polish Army
Museum holds a number of finds which were extracted from
the Vistula in the early 20th c., precisely from the place
which was selected for examinations.11 Inventory cards of
a few of these finds provide information on their extraction
from the bottom in the course of construction of a bridge.12
7In surviving documents and press reports the family name of the
sand miner’s son appears in two versions: Paź and Paś.
8See a letter “To Mr President of the Capital City of Warsaw”
from 12 January 1949, preserved in the Archive of the Museum of
Warsaw, and a copy of an interview given by Mr Paź to a journal-
ist of one of Warsaw newspapers (both documents have no inven-
tory Nos.).
9A varsavianist, who was taken by the sand miners in 1906 to the
place where a marble dolphin and other finds were extracted (cf.
footnote 5).
10 For the Żoliborz Reef see A. SOSNOWS KA, Wpływ rafy
żoliborskiej na warunki przepływu na śródmiejskim odcinku Wisły
w Warszawie (km 508–517) (Influence of the Żoliborz Reef on
Flow Conditions in the Downtown Section of the Vistula in
Warsaw, Km 508–517), „Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Formatio
Circumiectus” 14 (1), 2015, 179–187.
11 See, among others, Z. STEFAŃSKA, Katalog zbiorów – wiek XVII.
Muzeum Wojska Polskiego (Catalogue of the Collections – the
18th c. The Polish Army Museum), Warszawa 1968, Cat. Nos. 33,
53, 66, 129, 141, 142, 146, and 330.
12 What is probably meant is one of bridges near the Citadel, at the
present-day Gdański Bridge, see J. CHROŚCICKI, A. ROTTERMUND,
Atlas architektury Warszawy (Atlas of the Architecture of Warsaw),
Warszawa 1977, 52.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
243
Fig . 2. Aerial photo of the area selected for examinations in 2009 – 517th kilometre of the Vistula, view from the south (Photo K. Trela).
Ryc. 2. Zdjęcie lotnicze obszaru wytypowanego do badań w 2009 r. – 517 kilometr Wisły, widok od strony południowej.

In the case of a bardiche head it was stated: “found on the
bottom of the Vistula, possibly at a depth of 7 m (?).”13 This
implied that some of searched objects, underwashed by
water, with permanently moving and unstabilised bottom,
may have been literally pressed at a depth of even a few
metres under the surface of the bottom in the course of
time. Therefore, in the first phase of work it proved
indispensable to apply geophysical methods, which are
used for examinations of bottom sediments.14 The follow-
ing systems were applied: a RoxAnn and a seismic-acoustic
one (a sub-bottom profiler). The first one, made by the
British Stenmar Sonavision company, consisted of two
echo sounders, emitting beams of acoustic waves with two
different frequencies: 28 kHz and 200 kHz, a processor
which processes signals of echoes, an additional GPS and
a computer. Such a device allowed to record unevennesses
of the bottom and to measure its hardness. Echo soundings
with the use of the RoxAnn allowed to make measurements
with the accuracy of 10 cm (records were taken at 2 sec
intervals). At the same time, these measurements enabled
the researchers to identify the nature of the bottom’s surfa-
ce, including, i.e., types of sediments in the riverbed of the
Vistula (Figs. 3, 4). On the other hand, the sub-bottom
profiler, made by the Dutch Seabed B.V. company (an
Oretech 3010-MP model), emitting acoustic signals with
a frequency of 5 kHz, allowed to penetrate through layers
of these sediments. Its range is more than 20 m and it
enabled the researchers to record objects buried under the
sediments.
Apart from the aforementioned equipment, a Sport-
Scan towed side scan sonar made by the Canadian
Imagenex company was also used in the research. Towed
behind the stern, it allows to gather high-resolution data.
As it operates at a small distance from the bottom, an effect
of the so-called acoustic shadow can be minimised and
distortions are limited. Processed data form the image of
13 Former number of the inventory card: 41948, the present one:
699 MWP.
14 See A. OSADCZUK, Geofizyczne metody badań osadów dennych
(Geophysical Methods of Examinations of Bottom Sediments),
“Studia Limnologica et Telmatologica” 1/1, 2007, 25–32.
HUBERT KOWALSKI
244
Fig . 3. Dr Andrzej Osadczuk launches the vessel with research equipment in 2009 (Photo H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 3. Dr Andrzej Osadczuk woduje łódź z aparaturą badawczą w 2009 r.

the bottom with features resting on it. Depending on the
applied frequency (100–500 kHz), its accuracy can be even
a few cm.15
Calibration and combination of the aforemention-
ed systems, as well as the use of a small vessel allowed to
carry out a prospection within the area which was marked
out at the initial stage of the works. In the first phase of exa-
minations, after the bottom had been scanned for several
times, the measurements turned to be enormously promis-
ing. Both on the bottom and under a few metres thick layer
of sand, gravel and silt, numerous artefacts were detected.
Their regular shapes resembled architectural details. These
were both individual objects as well as clusters of a few
items. The research season in 2009, focusing on the
selection and testing of devices, was completed in Autumn.
In the course of that season numerous GPS coordinates
were acquired, which required further testing. For this
purpose, 70 interesting objects were selected.
The search was resumed in the subsequent year.
Regrettably, due to flood it was not possible to examine the
bottom with the participation of a team of divers. On the
other hand, flood waves did not stop penetration with
the use of measuring devices. In order to speed up the
works due to changing weather conditions, another sonar
(EdgeTech DF-1000) was applied. It enabled the researchers
to acquire high-resolution images, both in shallow and in
deep waters. Examinations were carried out in unfavour-
able conditions, as the height of the flood wave reached
780 cm. However, they confirmed previous suppositions.
The measurements were done before the coming of flood
waves, in their course, as well as after they had receded.
They demonstrated that objects deposited on the bottom
were not changing their locations under the influence of
water movement. The river, by means of depositing silt,
sand and gravel, was covering or uncovering objects on the
bottom, but did not change their location.
15 On sonar examinations see A. GRZĄDZIEL, Technika sonaru
bocznego w badaniach hydrograficznych (Side Sonar Technology
in Hydrographical Research), “Przegląd Hydrograficzny” 4,
2008 (no pagination); K. KUC, D. SZULC, Wpływ zniekształceń
w obrazach sonarowych na odzwierciedlenie wybranych cech
obiektów podwodnych (Influence of Distortions in Sonar Images
on Depictions of Selected Traits of Underwater Features), “Forum
Nawigacji” 4, 2010, 58–72.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
245
Fig . 4. Research equipment in the boat in 2009 (Photo H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 4. Aparatura badawcza zamontowana na łodzi w 2009 r.

The 2011 season commenced with another pro-
spection of the bottom using the side scan sonar. This led
to a selection of a dozen or so the most promising objects.
In order to confirm a convergence of “sonar” data and GPS
units it proved indispensable to carry out underwater works,
which confirmed the location of some selected objects. For
this purpose, a group of scuba divers was employed for
further works. What proved enormously helpful was an
extremely low water level of the Vistula, which was unseen
for some dozen years. Such hydrographical conditions allow-
ed for a penetration of places which could not be reached
previously, due to a rocky bottom. In September, the first
group of in situ objects was positively verified. So far, they
were visible only in sonar images. These were fragments of
cornices, parts of arcades and some dozen smaller elements,
including the most important object which allowed to
establish the chronology – a fragment of an arcade with
a carved coat of arms of the House of Vasa family, a sheaf
(Fig. 5). An identical piece was hauled up in 1906 by the
sand miners, who called it “a corner of an arcade, also of
marble, with royal crowns and the coats of arms of the
House of Vasa.”16 The objects rested both on the rocky bot-
tom (which was additionally covered with gravel), between
boulders and pebbles, as well as on loams. Finds were lite-
rally pressed into the bottom and they rested within the
area of 20 m2, 1–10 metres from one another. Between
them, there were present-day artefacts, among others, glass
and plastic bottles, cans, bricks, an umbrella and a bucket.
All these finds testified to dynamic changes in the structu-
re of the river bottom.
In the end of September it was possible to extract
most small-sized fragments from the bottom. What rema-
ined in situ were objects whose weight was between 50 and
730 kg, as in this case it was necessary to use a crane. As the
works were carried out in the middle of the stream, the
crane was installed on a barge and was towed to the place of
16 See documentation in the Archive of the Museum of Warsaw
(no inv. No.).
HUBERT KOWALSKI
246
Fig. 5. Marble element ornamented with the sheaf – the coat of arms of the House of Vasa, discovered in 2011 (Photo
H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 5. Element marmurowy, dekorowany herbem Wazów – snopkiem, odkryty w 2011 r.

17
H. KOWALSKI, A. MAGNUSZEWSKI, P. KUŹNIAR, Najniższe stany
wody Wisły w Warszawie i podwodne odkrycia archeologiczne
(The Lowest Water Levels of the Vistula in Warsaw and Under-
water Archaeological Discoveries), “Gospodarka Wodna” 1, 2013,
25–30; on the specificity of the Vistula see J. ANGIEL, Rzeka
Wisła, jej wartości i percepcja. Wisła w edukacji geograficznej (The
Vistula River, its Values and Perception. The Vistula in Geographic
Education), Warszawa 2011.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
247
Fig. 6. Extraction of a several hun-
dred kilograms heavy element of
a marble decoration with the use of
the crane on the barge, 2011 (Photo
H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 6. Wydobywanie kilkusetkilo-
gramowego elementu dekoracji mar-
murowej za pomocą dźwigu usta-
wionego na barce, 2011 r.
research (Fig. 6). As the water level rose steadily, another
group of more than thirty objects were extracted. They
were placed on the barge and transported to the Praga port.
Then, they were deposited in a hangar belonging to the
Warsaw River Police Station. Further works were postpo-
ned until the subsequent season.
In 2012, the research commenced in May. As the
water level decreased week after week, it was possible to
extend the area of works17 (Fig. 7). In July, new elements
of the sunken transport were discovered, which could not
be extracted from the bottom in the previous year of
examina
tions. A low water level of the Vistula additionally

HUBERT KOWALSKI
248
Fig. 7. Aerial photo of the area of examinations during a lower
water level in 2012, view from the south (Photo H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 7. Zdjęcie lotnicze obszaru badań przy niższym stanie wody
w 2012 r., widok od strony południowej.
Fig. 8. Fragment of the lighter, discovered in 2012 (Photo
H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 8.
Fragment szkuty odkrytej w 2012 r.
contributed to uncovering of 11 objects which were de-
posited some dozen metres from the concentration of finds
in Season 2011. An analysis of historical relations, archival
documents and changes in the shore line led to a conclu-
sion that it was a group of objects which were extracted
already in the 17th c. and were buried in the then shore of
the river. King Jan Kazimierz himself recommended to
conceal the marbles: “[…] And if you are not able to provi-
de for it, you should take all objects regained from them
[i.e., from the Swedes] and bury them well somewhere
in the shore, so that the enemy is unable to easily get to
them.”18
Five clusters deposited on the bottom were identi-
fied in the course of works. Four of these were still under
water, in spite of a low water level of the Vistula. Within
the group of discovered fragments of sculptural ornaments,
a majority rested at a depth of 1 m. On the other hand,
some dozen were extracted from a greater depth. It was
possible to find them with the use of a metal detector, as
iron fasteners were stuck into marbles. In the same way
some dozen kilograms of lead were discovered, which was
once used to join 17th c. stonework.
18 Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, Collection
of Paper Documents, inv. No. 1021; a previous inv. No. (IV.5.2.J
Nr 18a) can be seen on the document.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
249
Fig. 9. Marble core of the fountain,
deposited in the hangar of the Warsaw
River Police Station (Photo H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 9. Marmurowy trzon fontanny usta-
wiony w hangarze Komisariatu Policji
Rzecznej w Warszawie.
Due to a persistent low water level of the Vistula
it was not possible to use the crane again to lift heavier
objects. Therefore, in the case of the six heaviest objects,
whose weight reached 800 kg, a police helicopter was
used.
In the course of works in Season 2012, another
6 tons of marble sculptural ornaments and about 40 cannon-
balls were extracted. Furthermore, fragments (including
one which was a dozen or so metres long) of skin of a ves-
sel were discovered. In all probability these were remains
of a 17th c. lighter19 (Fig. 8). The acquired architectural
objects include, i.a., a fountain core, portrait framings,
column bases, floor tiles, fountain parts, cornices or lintels
(Figs. 9–11). The extracted details were made from several
19 Discovered nails from the skin are similar to those at that time,
with regard to their sizes and shapes, cf. W. OSSOWSKI, Przemiany
w szkutnictwie rzecznym w Polsce. Studium archeologiczne
(Changes in River Shipbuilding in Poland. An Archaeological
Study), Gdańsk 2010, 102, fig. 88. In the course of works, five
bottom strakes were found, cf. A. RESZKA, Wiślane statki i techniki
nawigacyjne od XVI do XX wieku (Vistula Vessels and Navigation
Techniques from the 16th to 20th c.), Gdańsk 2012.

HUBERT KOWALSKI
Fig. 11 Marbl e por trait f raming
(Photo H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 11. Marmurowe obramienie por-
tretowe.
Fig. 10. Architectural consoles (Photo
H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 10. Konsole architektoniczne.

kinds of marbles, limestones and sandstone. On the basis of
preliminary research it can be supposed that to a great
degree these are rocks from the Holy Cross Mountains
(Góry Świętokrzyskie). Some elements were carved from
imported precious types of Netherlands and Italian
marbles20 (Fig. 12).
The examinations of the bottom of the Vistula,
which have been carried out since 2009, resulted in discover
-
ing and extraction of numerous spectacular objects, includ-
ing more than 12 tons of sculptural ornaments. In most
cases we are dealing with elements plundered from the
Villa Regia, that is, the Kazimierzowski Palace on the cur-
rent University campus. Preliminary analyses of recovered
finds confirm that these are not only fragments from
palace gardens, but first of all components of the external
staircase of the palace (Fig. 13). The number and the state
of preservation of individual finds extracted in the course
of archaeological works not only confirms a monumental
nature of this part of the Villa Regia (which is known
from short descriptions only21). In the future, it will allow
for an attempt at reconstructing it. Even now, a comparison
of discovered finds, archival sources and relations from
20 See H. KOWALSKI, M. WARDZYŃSKI, Czas „potopu”. Zniszczenia
Warszawy ( The Time of the ‘Deluge.’ Destruction of Warsaw),
(in:) M. Wardzyński, H. Kowalski, P. Jamski, Lapidarium
Warszawskie. Szlachetne materiały kamieniarskie w XVI i XVII
wieku (Warsaw Lapidary. Precious Stonework Materials in the
16th and 17th c.), Warszawa 2013, 89–96.
21 See, i.a., A. JAR ZĘBSK I, Gościniec albo Krótkie opisanie
Warszawy (Highway, or a Short Description of Warsaw), edited
by W. Tomkiewicz, Warszawa 1974, 138.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
251
Fig. 12. Column base made of Italian marble (Photo H. Kowalski).
Ryc. 12. Baza kolumny wykonana z włoskiego marmuru.

the discussed period sheds new light on the architecture
of the Kazimierzowski Palace.22 Thanks to the extracted
finds we are now able to undertake an attempt at re-
constructing not only the external staircase with the
loggia, but also to commence works on the reconstruction
of decorations of individual rooms in the palace. Further-
more, the assemblage of garden ornaments will allow for
a reinterpretation of the garden premise.
Archaeological research in the vicinity of the
Citadel in Warsaw will be continued until 2018.
Translated by Grzegorz Żabiński
Dr Hubert Kowalski
Institute of Archaeology
University of Warsaw
hubkowal@wp.pl
HUBERT KOWALSKI
252
Fig. 13. Drawing documentation of a fragment of framing from the Kazimierzowski Palace (Drawing P. Pytlak).
Ryc. 13. Dokumentacja rysunkowa fragmentu obramienia z Pałacu Kazimierzowskiego.
22 On the Kazimierzowski Palace see J. PUTKOWSKA, Królewska
rezydencja na przedmieściu Warszawy XVII wieku (A Royal
Residence in the Suburb of Warsaw in the 17th c.), “Kwartalnik
Architektury i Urbanistyki” XXIII/4, 1978, 279–302; eadem,
Pałac Kazimierzowski (The Kazimierzowski Palace), (in:)
J. Miziołek (ed.), Ars et educatio. Kultura artystyczna Uniwersytetu
Warszawskiego (Ars et Educatio. Artistic Culture of the University
of Warsaw), Warszawa 2003, 205–217; M. SZAFRAŃSKA, Ogrody
wiedzy (Gardens of Science), (in:) Ars et educatio..., 293–309;
M. KARPOWICZ, Matteo Castello: l’architetto del primo barocco
a Roma e in Polonia, Bellinzona 2003; idem, Matteo Castello –
architekt wczesnego baroku (Matteo Castello – an Architect of the
Early Baroque), Warszawa 1994; T.S. JAROSZEWSKI, Architektura
Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego (Architecture of the University of
Warsaw), Warszawa 1991, 8–36.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE BOTTOM OF THE VISTULA RIVER NEAR THE CITADEL IN WARSAW IN 2009–2012
253
nwazja nazywana „potopem szwedzkim”, która
miała miejsce w latach 1655–1660, największe straty przy-
niosła Warszawie. Stolica została ograbiona nie tylko z wiel-
kich dzieł malarskich, księgozbiorów, czy też dekoracji
rzeźbiarskich, ale także elementów małej architektury.
Klatki schodowe, posadzki, czy obramienia okienne zostały
wyrwane ze swojego pierwotnego kontekstu architekto-
nicznego. Niesprzyjające dla grabieżców warunki pogodo-
we sprawiały, iż transporty rzeczne z łupami niekiedy koń-
czyły się niepowodzeniem i trafiały na dno Wisły.
Badania archeologiczne rozpoczęte w 2009 roku
przez autora miały na celu zlokalizowanie zatopionego
w 1656 roku transportu z marmurowymi dekoracjami
zrabowanymi z Villa Regia (Pałacu Kazimierzowskiego).
Pretekstem do rozpoczęcia badań były archiwalne zapiski,
mówiące o wydobyciu w 1906 roku przez warszawskich
piaskarzy kilkudziesięciu obiektów ze wspomnianych
szwedzkich transportów (Ryc. 1).
Informacje z epoki opisujące zatopienie, a następ-
nie wydobywanie łupów szwedzkich, skierowały badania
w rejony Mostu Gdańskiego i Cytadeli Warszawskiej (517 km
Wisły) (Ryc. 2). Ze względu na to, iż zatopione obiekty
spoczywały na dnie Wisły od ponad 350 lat, należało się
skoncentrować nie tylko na badaniach samego dna, ale
również tego, co kryje się pod jego powierzchnią. W tym
celu zastosowano system echosond RoxAnn oraz system sej-
s
moakustyczny, a także sonar boczny (Ryc. 3, 4). W pierw-
szej fazie prac, dzięki wymienionym systemom i urządze-
niom, udało się zlokalizować na dnie, ale także pod kilku-
metrową warstwą piachu i żwiru, około 70 obiektów zróż-
nicowanej wielkości.
Niestety pogoda okazała się niezbyt łaskawa dla
dalszych badań, a seria powodzi, która w 2010 roku prze-
szła przez Polskę, wymusiła przyspieszenie prac, tym razem
z użyciem kolejnych urządzeń. Nowe pomiary potwierdziły
obecność wcześniej zlokalizowanych obiektów. Wykazały
także, że mimo bardzo zmiennego stanu wody (fale powo-
dziowe), obiekty nie ulegały przemieszczeniom.
Badania dna rzeki wznowiono w 2011 roku, anga-
żując w tym celu także płetwonurków. We wrześniu pierw-
sza grupa obiektów (fragmenty gzymsów, części arkad,
w tym z herbem Wazów) została pozytywnie zweryfikowa-
na, a z końcem miesiąca – podjęta z dna rzeki (Ryc. 5). Ze
względu na to, iż większość elementów ważyła od 50 do
nawet 730 kg, do podjęcia ich z dna rzeki użyto dźwigu
umieszczonego na barce (Ryc. 6). Wydobyte zabytki zło-
żono w hangarze Komisariatu Rzecznego Policji w War-
szawie.
Prace wznowiono w maju 2012 roku. Rekordowo
niski stan wody w Wiśle umożliwił zlokalizowanie i wydo-
bycie kolejnych 6 ton marmurowych dekoracji rzeźbiar-
skich, a także 40 kul armatnich (Ryc. 7). Niski poziom
rzeki, ułatwiający poszukiwania i lokalizację obiektów, był
jednocześnie przeszkodą przy ich wydobyciu. Nie było
możliwe użycie dźwigu, stąd znaleziska o największej masie
(nawet 800 kg) musiały zostać podjęte z pomocą policyj-
nego śmigłowca. Z koryta rzeki zebrano także fragmenty
poszycia jednostki pływającej, najprawdopodobniej szkuty
XVII-wiecznej (Ryc. 8).
Przeprowadzone dotychczas prace archeologiczne
przyniosły wydobycie ponad 12 ton dekoracji marmuro-
wych (Ryc. 9–12). Większość obiektów bez wątpienia po-
chodzi z Pałacu Kazimierzowskiego. Poszczególne elemen-
ty architektoniczne wskazują, iż podczas rabunku doszło
do rozmontowania jego monumentalnej zewnętrznej klat-
ki schodowej (Ryc. 13). Obecnie trwają prace nad rekon-
strukcją wirtualną spektakularnych schodów, zwieńczo-
nych loggią.
I
HUBERT KOWALSKI
BADANIA ARCHEOLOGICZNE DNA WISŁY W REJONIE CYTADELI WARSZAWSKIEJ
W LATACH 2009–2012