Archaeological site at the Archaeological Museum in Krakow

photogrammetry, 3D models

 

Model created by: Atlas 3D – photogrammetry Poland

In the north-western part of the garden of the Archaeological Museum in Krakow, right next to Poselska Street, archaeologists uncovered remarkable relics of the past, offering a glimpse into the city’s history from two different perspectives: medieval and modern. The site preserves fragments of a 19th-century block sewer and the foundations of the Masons’ and Stonemasons’ Tower, one of Krakow’s former defensive towers.

Block sewer

The uncovered sewer is a typical 19th-century engineering structure, probably built in the first half of the century. The preserved fragment runs along an east–west axis, then turns westward toward the main drainage line running parallel to today’s Poselska Street.

The sewer has vertical side walls, a barrel vault, and a concave floor paved with so-called “cobblestones” made of shaped limestone. It was built using limestone, sandstone, and reused bricks, most likely salvaged from the demolition of Krakow’s medieval city walls. The interior of the sewer is about 1.20 m wide and 1.30 m high.

A particularly valuable curiosity is a limestone block with an ammonite fossil embedded in one of the walls – the builders carefully avoided damaging it, so today it remains a unique geological feature.

Later repairs, carried out in the 20th century, used cement and machine-made brick, testifying to the multi-phase history of the sewer’s use and modernization.

The history of Krakow’s block sewers is incomplete – the original plans were destroyed by the Germans during World War II, making it difficult for researchers to trace their layout today. However, their decommissioning mainly took place between 1958–1967 and in 1972. The disused sewers were filled with filter sand and reinforced with concrete partitions – a method also used in mining.

Masons’ and Stonemasons’ Tower

The second structure visible at the site is the foundation of the Masons’ and Stonemasons’ Tower, one of 47 defensive towers of medieval Krakow. It was built at the end of the 14th or the beginning of the 15th century on the site of an earlier earth rampart, which in the 14th century had been replaced with a stone wall.

The tower belonged to the masons’ and stonemasons’ guild and was also known in earlier sources as the Legacka Tower. Its massive structure protected the north-western part of the city for several centuries.

In the first half of the 17th century, the Discalced Carmelite monastery with the Church of Sts. Michael and Joseph was built in its immediate vicinity. From that moment, the tower became part of the monastic complex. Although the monastery was plundered and partially burned during the Swedish wars, the Carmelites soon obtained a royal privilege allowing them to incorporate the former defensive tower into their complex. Numerous 18th- and 19th-century engravings confirm its presence within the monastery’s buildings.

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3D Model

Both the block sewer and the Masons’ Tower have been documented as a photogrammetric 3D model, which I created based on as many as 1,800 photographs taken with a drone and digital cameras. My goal was to faithfully capture every detail – from the arrangement of bricks to small depressions and structural remains. The result is an exceptionally precise digital model that almost perfectly reflects the real appearance of the archaeological site.

This model makes it possible to see how two different worlds meet in one place – Krakow’s medieval defensive system and 19th-century urban infrastructure. It is a striking example of how layers of history can still be read in the city’s fabric and how archaeology continues to reveal fragments of Krakow’s rich past.

I would like to thank the Archaeological Museum in Krakow for the opportunity to create this model, and especially Mr. Bogumił Pilarski, whose tremendous work and dedication to the excavations were of key importance to this project.