27 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Dog Kajtuś uncovers Poland’s biggest treasure of the past 100 years

A dog named Kajtuś discovered the biggest treasure found in Poland in the last 100 years. The treasure was found buried in a clay pot near Wałbrzych by a dog named Kajtuś while he was on a walk with his owner.

Information about the unusual discovery was received by the Branch Office in Wałbrzych, WUOZ in Wrocław on Thursday, April 7th. The next day, Marek Kowalski the monument inspector, together with a team of archaeologists from the Wrocław University Archaeological Institute, examined the find and went to the discovery site.

What was found turned out to be medieval bracteates from the first half of the 13th century, stored in a dilapidated clay pot. The medieval bracteates are thin coins with only one face embossed. The name of the coin is derived from the Latin word bractea, which means thin sheet metal.

Bracteats are made of thin plates. In the Middle Ages, they functioned as means of payment. The use of individual coin series is relatively short. It is known from historical data that the exchange of payment instruments took place 2-3 times a year in this period. The above-mentioned preserved coins of that period are few since they were remelted and minted in a new series. Finding a substantial amount of coins from this period is therefore unique.

The coins found in Wałbrzych are quite well preserved and the images on them are mostly clear and depict griffins, mermaids, and angels, as well as architectural elements such as towers and walls.

The location of the vessel and the coins suggests that someone had initially hidden them. Preliminary identification of the coins suggests that they originated in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Silesia.

The sensational haul of medieval bracteates (one-sided coins) was found buried near Wałbrzych by a dog named Kajtuś. Photo: Lower Silesia Heritage Protection Office/Facebook

The most recent similar discovery took place in Pomerania in 1972, when over a hundred Teutonic bracteates were found.

Kings, princes, and bishops could issue coinage during the period. This situation persisted until major silver reserves near Prague, Czech Republic, were discovered; after that, groschens began to be produced, gradually replacing bracteates.

However, the discovery brought some controversy. Some internet users argue that the story about the dog is exaggerated and that the 13th-century treasure was found by someone who scanned the area with a metal detector.

According to archaeologists, such a large haul has not been formally reported in Poland for at least 100 years. Photo: Lower Silesia Heritage Protection Office/Facebook
According to archaeologists, such a large haul has not been formally reported in Poland for at least 100 years. Photo: Lower Silesia Heritage Protection Office/Facebook

Wałbrzych heritage protection officer, Anna Nowakowska-Ciuchera, said: “The person who approached us was on a walk with their dog. At some point, Kajtuś started digging in the ground. And that’s how he came across the pot of coins. At least this is the version presented to us.”

The coins will first be extensively examined, and then, as property of the Treasury, they will go to the museum.

Cover Photo: Lower Silesia Heritage Protection Office/Facebook

Related Articles

Marvelous Marble Floor Of Sunken Roman Villa Restored in Bacoli

19 July 2024

19 July 2024

In Bacoli, Italy, an underwater restoration project has uncovered the marvelous marble floor of a submerged Roman villa. This remarkable...

Falaj al Misfah: Working for a thousand years

26 September 2021

26 September 2021

The village of Al Misfah Abriyeen is known for its lush oasis, magnificent orchards, and year-round water source, the ‘aflaj.’...

In Germany, volunteers unearthed the largest hoard of Slavic coins to date and bronze-age seven swords

29 November 2023

29 November 2023

Volunteer archaeologists found bronze age seven swords and from the 11th century 6000 silver coins in the northeastern German state...

How Knossos Palace Looked in Its Glorious Days

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

Knossos Palace is a famous architectural structure of ancient Knossos, which was the capital of the Minoan Civilization. Archaeologist Arthur...

An 1800-year-old inscription was discovered in Hadrianaupolis indicating the existence of the Asclepius cult

5 September 2022

5 September 2022

An inscription pointing to the existence of the cult of Asclepius was found in the ancient city of Hadrianaupolis, which...

14th-century inscription found on Turkey’s Giresun Island

4 January 2022

4 January 2022

On Giresun Island, which is 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) off the Turkish province of Giresun on the Black Sea’s southeastern...

Unique finds unearthed in the ancient city of Olba in southern Türkiye

16 August 2023

16 August 2023

In the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Olba, located in the Silifke district of Mersin, in the...

Queen of Seas Who Challenged Rome: ‘Queen Teuta’

31 October 2023

31 October 2023

Illyrian Queen Teuta is one of the most extraordinary figures of Illyrian antiquity and of Albanian heritage. She was also...

2000-year-old quarry discovered in Jerusalem that could be the source of Second temple stones

5 September 2021

5 September 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old quarry in Har Hotzvim, now an industrial park in Jerusalem. The Israel Antiquities Authority said...

Malaysian rock art found to depict Ruling class and Indigenous tribes conflict

23 August 2023

23 August 2023

Researchers discovered that two anthropomorphic figures of indigenous warriors were created amid geopolitical tensions with the ruling class and other...

In the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”, archaeologists have discovered a burial mound containing ornate treasures dating back 2,500 years

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

A Polish-Russian team of archaeologists, excavating in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” have announced the discovery of a burial...

A new study attributes Japanese, Korean and Turkish languages all to a common ancestor in northeastern China

11 November 2021

11 November 2021

According to a new study, modern languages ranging from Japanese and Korean to Turkish and Mongolian may have had a...

First European farmers’ heights did not meet expectations

9 April 2022

9 April 2022

A combined study of genetics and skeletal remains shows that the switch from primarily hunting, gathering and foraging to farming...

Remains of ‘female vampire’ found with sickle across her neck and a padlocked toe in Poland

2 September 2022

2 September 2022

A skeleton of what archaeologists believe may have been a 17th-century female vampire has been discovered near Bydgoszcz in Poland....

A stunning fresco depicting Helen of Troy is revealed during excavations at the ancient Roman city

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

Archeologists have uncovered remarkably preserved ‘fresco’ paintings on a wall in the banqueting room of a large house along Via...