Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Medievalists.net Mary’s Church (Marienkirche) in Gardelegen have made an unexpected discovery: a small lead-bronze figurine of a monkey buried beneath the medieval church for centuries made during restoration work in 2022 and 2023 sparking debate over its original purpose and symbolism The 8-centimeter-tall monkey figure was uncovered in the church’s nave by volunteer archaeologist Ralf Schulze. It was promptly restored by specialists at the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt revealing a detailed design that suggests the monkey is holding either a drinking horn or a musical instrument While depictions of monkeys in medieval churches are not unheard of their meanings vary widely—from symbols of sin and folly to representations of human behavior in satirical or moralistic contexts The excavation was part of a larger project to install underfloor heating in the Gothic hall church More than 1,000 artifacts spanning seven centuries were recovered and even gaming dice—another unusual find within a religious setting evolved from a Romanesque structure into a grand Gothic hall church it remains a key historical and architectural landmark The discovery highlights the rich and often surprising history hidden beneath medieval churches offering fresh insights into the daily lives and artistic expressions of past centuries While the true purpose of the monkey figurine remains a mystery its presence in a sacred space raises intriguing questions about medieval religious art Top Image: This approximately 8-centimeter-tall lead-bronze figurine from Marienkirche in Gardelegen depicts a monkey in a frontal view © State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login In order to evaluate the benefits of research drones various reconnaissance scenarios were flown as part of the regular training operations of Jäger Battalion 91 at the Combat Training Center in Gardelegen random soldiers were given AI-supported drones as an additional aid experimental research drone systems were used by employees of the institute The aim of these investigations is to determine the potential and effectiveness of current research topics in realistic operations das Potenzial und die Effektivität aktueller Forschungsthemen in realitätsnahen Operationen zu bestimmen The UniBw M was at the BBK Congress on “Forschung für den Zivilschutz” from 5 to 7 February 2025 to promote the great works from "B-prepared The Learning Effective Abstractions for Planning (LEAP) workshop part of the Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL) the members of the EU-Horizon project "B-Prepared" gathered for a project meeting at the Green Palace in the Genova Blue District near the harbour in Genoa the Ignaz Kögler Research Summer Camp 2024 took place in Ingolstadt in which Sean Klein from the AI Lab also took part In addition to interesting lectures on autonomous flying artificial intelligence and the use of sensor data prototypes for camera-based trajectory prediction and for the safe autonomous landing of drones were also developed together with the WIWeB's Soldier Innovation Lab was once again able to accompany the training operations at the Combat Training Center in Gardelegen from 04.06.2024 to 07.06.2024 Chair of Aircraft Dynamics and Flight Guidance Universität der Bundeswehr MünchenWerner-Heisenberg-Weg 3985579 Neubiberg b Postal adress:Universität der Bundeswehr München85577 Neubiberg b Plasteurope.com is a business information platform for the European plastics industry It is part of KI Kunststoff Information and PIE Plastics Information Europe one of the leading content providers for the European plastics industry We offer daily updated business news and reports polymer prices and other services for the international plastics industry News | Polymer Prices | Suppliers Guide | Jobs | Register | Advertising About  .  Contact  .  Donation The findings were made during an excavation aimed at installing underfloor heating in the Gothic-style church Mary’s Church was built in the 13th century and features a large hall with high-vaulted ceilings and beautiful stained-glass windows The church has retained its medieval appearance despite being renovated several times over the centuries The recent excavation covered an area of 145 square meters of the original wooden floor to a depth of about 40 centimeters Among the most significant finds was a hoard of 679 coins and coin fragments The first batch of coins was scanned and integrated into the S.E.S.A.M an initiative for systematically recording historical coins in Saxony-Anhalt Other artifacts recovered included dress pins Personal items for everyday use like tweezers and beads were also uncovered the artifact has sparked a dispute among researchers regarding its symbolism Experts remain uncertain whether the monkey is holding a drinking horn or a wind instrument According to the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology depictions of monkeys in churches are not unusual “They are often shown playing board games or entangled in vines and loops,” said the office in a statement they were increasingly regarded as demonic creatures and as caricatures of sinful Mary’s Church underscores the crucial role of archaeological research in preserving historical monuments the involvement of volunteers is extremely helpful in this undertaking and the state of Saxony-Anhalt has a large knowledge base of experts working very closely with the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology More information: State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt where minted,and of whom / by whom was in power From jewelry,personal effects,the craftsmanship,the quality of the craftsmen at the time of which provide an interesting education and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative Apr 13, 2023 | History Polish diplomats and local officials have marked the anniversary of a massacre that took place in Germany at the end of World War Two and have also called on the German authorities to investigate the vandalism of victims’ graves that took place last week The massacre of over 1,000 slave labourers – the largest number of whom were Poles – occurred in the town of Gardelegen on 13 April 1945 less than a month before the surrender of Nazi Germany brought the war in Europe to an end the Nazi SS had been moving concentration camp prisoners towards the interior of the Third Reich One such group was being transported from the Mittelbau-Dora and Hannover-Stöcken camps over 1,000 of the prisoners were – with the help of the local population – herded into a barn that was then sealed and set on fire The barn in Gardelegen in which over 1,000 prisoners were burned alive While the perpetrators had then hoped to destroy evidence of the crime the rapid advance of the US 102nd Infantry Division – which arrived just one day after the massacre – meant that Allied forces discovered and documented the remains of the victims and were able to interview 11 prisoners who had survived The condition of the bodies made it impossible to identify most victims But among the 186 whose nationality was determined US troops viewing the remains of victims in the barn The US forces also ordered the local population to give a proper burial to the victims a US military tribunal sentenced the SS officer overseeing the transport the Nazi district leader in Gardelegen responsible for the massacre went into hiding after the war and lived for decades under a false identity the body that oversees the memorial to the massacre announced that a number of graves at the cemetery had been vandalised “Crosses and Stars of David were torn out from several graves and damaged,” announced the memorial “[We] condemn this attack and…immediately filed a criminal charge [which] the police are investigating.” later revealed that 24 graves had been desecrated and said that the Polish authorities “expect the German police to quickly identify the perpetrators of this crime” Miejsce pamięci Gardelegen poinformowało o zbezczeszczeniu 24 grobów na miejscowym cmentarzu na którym spoczywa 1016 ofiar zbrodni z 13.04.1945 – w większości Polaków Wyrwano lub uszkodzono krzyże i gwiazdy Dawida Oczekujemy, że 🇩🇪policja szybko ustali sprawców przestępstwa! https://t.co/qq00znQvk3 — Marcin Król, Konsul RP w Berlinie (@krol_rp) April 11, 2023 Król attended a ceremony to mark the 78th anniversary of the massacre along with representatives of the local authorities and families of victims “This place shows the ruthlessness and dehumanisation of not only the SS and Nazi party despite undoubted awareness of the imminent defeat of the Third Reich participated in one of the greatest crimes committed against Poles at the end of the war,” said Król “The tragedy is intensified by the fact that Gerhard Thiele managed to avoid punishment and lived to a peaceful old age,” added the consul — Gardelegen Memorial (@gfi_gardelegen) April 12, 2023 Around six million Polish citizens died during World War Two the highest proportional losses of any country Around half those victims were Polish Jews with the remainder mostly ethnic Poles The current Polish government has recently launched a campaign to obtain up to $1.3 trillion in war reparations from Germany arguing that Poland was never properly compensated for the enormous human The German government, however, argues that the issue of reparations was legally settled decades ago. In January this year it formally rejected Poland’s request for compensation Germany has formally rejected Poland's demand for war reparations Berlin informed Warsaw that it sees the issue as closed and does not intend to enter into negotiations Poland says it will continue to pursue its claimhttps://t.co/Jwq4pkojIp — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 3, 2023 Main image credit: Polnische Botschaft in Deutschland/Ambasada Polska w Niemczech/Facebook Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level , , Poland has recorded the strongest rise in consumer sentiment across the EU this year , , , The stunt has also been criticised by Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland as well as politicians from Poland’s main ruling party Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR SearchTreasure trove of artifacts, coins found in excavation of medieval German church Log InSubscribeThe Christian Post To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. 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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Mary's Church in Gardelegen located in Saxony-Anhalt in northern Germany | State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt Anika TauschenskyRenovations of a medieval church in Germany have led to the discovery of over 1,000 artifacts with some dating back to the church's founding in the 13th century Mary's Church in Gardelegen began excavations in June 2022 with the intent of installing a new under-floor heating system The excavation continued until September 2023 and covered 145 square meters and went to a depth of around 40 centimeters Some 679 coins or coin fragments were discovered beneath the old wooden floor of the church An 8 centimeter bronze monkey figurine was also discovered in the nave of the church The monkey is depicted holding a horn to its lips although experts are divided on whether monkey is drinking from a horn or blowing a musical instrument The State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology told Archaeology News that representations of monkeys were quite common in medieval churches Gardelegen is itself a historic town located in Saxony-Anhalt in northern Germany The town was founded in the 10th century and has a hospital dating back to 1285 The town has a Catholic church and three Evangelical churches The town experienced many of the tragedies of German history including trouble during the Thirty Years War and a darkening of its name in World War II when the SS organized the massacre of over 1,000 concentration camp prisoners near the town This article was originally published at Christian Today  Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage. '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/seton-hill-photo-exhibit-reveals-details-about-holocaust-atrocities\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=.b_jO5vq43hWNiWMqWevHaGJkU6.xGGht_VvO6cpklA-1746538707-1.0.1.1-cMwetQI93m9.CqT2eh77uD17tGwicXgbsDoUmfsKaSg" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Sometime in the early morning of April 14, 1945, he heard a report on the radio that U.S. soldiers were working at a horrific scene. He grabbed the Verlander and with his sergeant, rushed to the immediate aftermath of what would come to be known as the Gardelegen Massacre of April 13, 1945. Nazi soldiers had led more than 1,000 prisoners into a barnlike structure and then set it on fire. Mr. Skwirut quickly photographed the scene. "I'll never forget it,'' he told the Tampa Bay Times in 2013. "The smell of burning flesh was horrible, and the bodies were everywhere.'' A week later, he sent the pictures to Jane with a note, asking her to keep them safe. And for more than 70 years, until her death, she did just that. Over the years, however, the couple rarely pulled them out. It wasn't until after the Times article that his three adult children learned much of the details of their father's experience. His explanation for keeping the memories locked up: "They are not the kind of photos you show a lot of people,'' he told the Times. Mr. Skwirut, 96, died on July 3. Along with his children, Judith Glenn, James Skwirut and Janet Saporito, he is survived by two grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Jane died last year. According to his daughter, who lives in Lithia, when Jane died, a large piece of him died too. "My dad was a man of few words a lot of the time, but after mom died, he did eventually say it. He just did not want to live without her,'' Judith Glenn said. Mr. Skwirut, who while serving in Germany named his Army jeep Jane, was discharged from the military a few months after Gardelegen and headed home to New Jersey. For 42 years, the couple focused on raising their children while Mr. Skwirut worked at Westinghouse Electric, in the lighting division. While there, he developed more than 12 different products, including an early version of a compact fluorescent light bulb. "My dad was smart, and he only had an eighth-grade education,'' Glenn said. In 1983, Henry and Jane decided to retire to Florida, and while Glenn helped her parents pack up for the move she saw the photos of the unimaginable scenes. "I had known he had pictures, but it was then that I actually saw them in the upstairs. I was told that's what they were, from the war, and then we just kept packing,'' she said. Glenn is not sure who she will give the photographs to. About 100 pictures are in the album, about 25 of Gardelegen. "It was horrible what happened. Nobody would have known about if someone hadn't taken the pictures,'' she said. "So I want to make sure they end up in a good place and that my father's name stays with them.'' Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. Judith Cohen is the chief acquisitions curator for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. She encourages families like the Skwiruts to share pictures with experts. Cohen also stressed that although many photographs of the Holocaust exist, photos taken by individual soldiers are not as common. And when it comes to Mr. Skwirut witnessing the scene, Cohen thinks of a man "in total shock,'' she said. "What happened in Gardelegen wasn't just a firefight. Soldiers at that point were habituated to seeing casualties,'' she said. "They had seen horrific carnage on the battlefield, but this was an atrocity where they saw people burned and stuffed into a barn. It's hard to imagine this type of bestiality, but this is what it was." Glenn expects that there are other families out there with fathers who were like hers — not eager to talk about what they saw during the Holocaust. "Maybe their father was there, and they never understood his story, and this way, through Daddy's pictures, we can help get that story told,'' she said. Contact Piper Castillo at pcastillo@tampabay.com. Follow @Florida_PBJC. Piper CastilloFormer Times Staffer Shelagh Fogarty is Leading Britain's Conversation A Harris hawk has been accused of terrorising a Home Counties village after the animal was spotted divebombing tall which has taken up the pursuit in the sleepy village of Flamstead is said to be targeting men between the ages of 40 and 60-years-old Around 20 people have been attacked in the past fortnight according to locals with the animal circling and swooping on unsuspecting villagers Sightings of the bird have been reported by those living in the village for several months with the animal seen to attempt an estimated 40 “divebombs” on men after what locals described as a sudden “change in behaviour” The bird of prey remains a long way from home with the hawk usually found 5,000 miles away from the tropical climes of South America - notably in Brazil Read more: Crossbow killer to die in jail after being handed whole-life term for killing his ex, her sister and their mother with the trained hawks used to remove pigeons from Trafalgar Square and birds from the Wimbledon tennis championships neighbourhood police patrols in the area told concerned villagers that their sergeant had confirmed reports are all from “tall men around the ages of 40 and 60” said: “I was walking and just felt a whack that pushed my head down Read more: Cargo vessel's captain arrested for gross negligence manslaughter after North Sea collision Read more: TikTok to launch new parental monitoring tools as app sets limit for teens “It was only from the corner of my eye that I realised it was a bird because I saw it fly away around 20 people I know have been attacked," he continued "Lots of bleeding heads — my friend who is bald has got two scars from it.” Lambden capture the moment the attack took place on CCTV which showed the bird targeting him directly outside the house The officers confirmed that professionals and local falconers had been brought in to try and trap the animal humanely Whipsnade Zoo has since advised residents to contact “the RSPB or British Bird Council for advice at this stage and our birdkeepers will be on standby to help if they need us” See more Latest News See more World News See more More Topics Der Düsseldorfer Technologiekonzern Rheinmetall übernimmt das Munitions­detektions- und Bergungsunternehmen Stascheit GmbH in Gardelegen/Sachsen-Anhalt Ein Kauf- und Abtretungsvertrag zum Erwerb des Unternehmens wurde jetzt geschlossen Als Teil der Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH wird das Unternehmen eine 100%-Tochter des Rheinmetall-Konzerns sein Mit der Integration der Stascheit GmbH wird das Produktportfolio der Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH im Bereich der Kampfmittelbergung umfassend abgerundet Rheinmetall strebt für den Zukauf mittelfristig einen jährlichen Umsatz in der Größenordnung von rund 80 MioEUR an Beide Unternehmen haben in ihrer bisherigen Zusammenarbeit zahlreiche Projekte erfolgreich abgeschlossen Zu diesen zählen die Detektion von Kampfmitteln in der Nordsee die vor allem bei Wartungsarbeiten an Offshore-Windparks zum Tragen kamen Vor dem Verlegen von Unterseeleitungen in der Ostsee sowie in Spanien konnten die Unternehmen gemeinsam Munitions­altlasten erfolgreich vernichten Die Hauptgeschäftsaktivitäten der bislang inhabergeführten Stascheit GmbH sind das Detektieren Bergen und Vernichten von Kampfmitteln und die archäologische Prospektion sowie die Altlastenerkundung und alle damit verbundenen Tätigkeiten einschließlich herausfordernder Tauch- und Bergungs­arbeiten Mit diesem strategischen Zukauf wird das Produktportfolio von Rheinmetall ent­scheidend ergänzt und weiter ausgebaut Die Expertise von Stascheit in der Munitionsbeseitigung und -entsorgung ermöglicht es der Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH Lösungen aus einer Hand anzubieten und die Kunden­bedürfnisse im Bereich der Kampfmittel­entsorgung besser zu bedienen „Mit der Übernahme von Stascheit stärken wir unsere Position im Bereich der sicherheitstechnischen Lösungen und erweitern unser Portfolio um wichtige Kompetenzen“ Geschäftsführer der Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH „Wir freuen uns auf die Zusammenarbeit mit dem talentierten Team von Stascheit und darauf gemeinsam innovative Lösungen für unsere nationalen und internationalen Kunden anzubieten.“ Die Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH wird weiterhin auf die erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit mit Stascheit setzen um die Effizienz und Sicherheit in der Munitionsbeseitigung weiter zu optimieren und somit einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Verteidigungs- und Sicherheitspolitik zu leisten Kontakt aufnehmen