Unearthed in a Polish forest: Stolzenberg, a vanished medieval town

Archaeologists have located Stolzenberg, a medieval town near Sławoborze, Poland, buried in a forest with an 18-foot moat and a central market square. Geophysical surveys and more than 400 artifacts—ranging from Bronze Age items to World War II remnants—reveal a once-dense settlement that likely declined in the 14th–15th centuries, possibly due to floods, shifting trade routes, or relocation. Researchers aim to confirm the town hall and church and to learn more about inhabitants through bioarchaeological analyses and broader archival work.