Archeologists have unearthed a Nazi time capsule which was buried in Poland in 1934.
It was buried under the Nazi training academy building Ordensburg Krossinsee, in the city of Zlocieniec, which was known as Falkenburg when it was part of Germany prior to World War II, reports The Independent.
The excavation began at the end of August, using old photographs as a guide, notes History.com. The black copper cylinder was finally uncovered on the night of Sept. 6.
The time capsule contains perfectly preserved mementos of Adolph Hitler including coins, letters, newspapers, pictures of Der Fuhrer and two copies of his famous autobiography, “Mein Kampf.”
Archeologist Marcin Peterleitner told Polish news agency RMF 24 that artifacts were so well-preserved that they appeared to have been “deposited yesterday,” reported History.com.
The existence of the time capsule was previously known, but accessing it was difficult. To retrieve it, archeologists “had to wade through groundwater, pick their way through thick concrete and evade German mines.”
Although the capsule was believed to contain film of the 1933 celebration of Zlocieniec’s 600th anniversary, no such film was found inside the container.
The National Museum in Szczecin, Poland has plans to make the time capsule’s contents available to the public, History.com reported.
Admission to the Ordensburg Krossinsee training center was limited to men of German citizenship between the ages of 23 and 26. To be accepted, the men had to be at least 63 inches tall and have perfect eyesight -- those wearing glasses were out. In addition to living quarters, the facility featured sporting fields, drilling grounds and a riding arena with horse barns. The site is now home to a Polish army barracks.