14-07-2025
Archaeologists Discover Rare Skeleton of Medieval Knight Under Old Ice Cream Parlor
The Teutonic Knights were a German religious order of crusaders who operated in eastern Europe in the 1000s.
Similar to the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights received land grants and privileges from the Pope; they wore a "white habit with a black cross," according to Britannica. They built a brick castle in Gdansk, Poland, in the 1300s.
Now, a large skeleton unearthed by archaeologists under an old ice cream parlor site in the city of Gdansk is shedding new light on this mysterious order.
According to Notes From Poland, the "limestone tombstone bearing the image of a knight with chainmail, a shield and a sword" was discovered in June at a site where archaeologists previously found the "remains of the oldest-known wooden church in Poland."
"What we are digging up here is crazy," Sylwia Kurzyńska told PAP, according to Nauka W Polsce. "On the limestone plate there is a knight's silhouette. He has a chainmail, a sword on his right arm and a shield. In addition, a fragment of the collicular shoe, and a fragment of the spinal legs were preserved."
Pomorski Wojewodzki, the regional conservator of monuments, shared a photo of the skeleton on Facebook on July 9, announcing the discovery.
"We have him!" he wrote. "Who? A knight! About 30 centimeters beneath the stones on which the tombstone rested, rested not a knight, but a real knight 💪, as he was about 180 cm tall, according to very preliminary estimates. So he was a 'hefty fellow' for his time (the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries) 🦸." That's roughly 5 foot 10 inches tall.
"We're writing, of course, about the archaeological site at the intersection of Sukiennicza and Grodzka Streets in Gdańsk, where the famous, now defunct 'Miś' ice cream parlor was located," he wrote.
"This part of Gdańsk is becoming even more famous, and we congratulate Sylwia Kurzyńska and Monika Kasprzak and the entire ArcheoScan Archaeological and Conservation Workshop team 💐"
Before the skeleton was unearthed, he wrote, of the tombstone, "Made of limestone, a plate with the image of a knight, it is so far the most medieval archaeological find of this season. And not the only one in this place. On the plot where excavations are ongoing, archaeologists discovered relics of a wooden church from the 12th century. This is the oldest temple in Gdansk. There are also relics of urban development on the same plot."Archaeologists Discover Rare Skeleton of Medieval Knight Under Old Ice Cream Parlor first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 14, 2025
