European Parliament opens exhibition on Polish Canal

An exhibition presenting artefacts excavated during the deepening of a shipping lane that connects Szczecin and Swinoujscie on the Polish Baltic coast has opened at the European Parliament in Brussels.

During modernisation works, about 100 tonnes of various items were raised from the bottom of the shipping channel in the Szczecin lagoon.

The most interesting findings from World War II include a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress engine and fragments of the German battleship Lutzow, which was bombed and sunk by a British squadron in April 1945 in Swinoujscie.

Other discoveries include heavy anchors, anchor winding mechanisms, a piece from a U-boat gun and riveted buoys that separated shipping lanes in the 19th century.

One of the oldest items excavated is a medieval sword with a sheath.

The exhibition at the European Parliament building in Brussels shows some of the most valuable finds.