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For decades the burial place of Polish Prisoners of War who died in Lamsdorf stalags has remained unknown. Although in the years 1939–1945 the camp could accommodate even as many as 70 thousand Poles, including participants of the September Campaign of 1939 and Warsaw Insurgents of 1944, we did not know the location of a single grave of a Polish soldier. This year’s archaeological research carried out in the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice has brought about a breakthrough discovery.

In one of the excavations in the grounds of the Old POW Cemetery, two rows of rectangular grave units have been revealed, partially preserved in stone casings. Upon the opening of three graves, human remains buried in coffins were found. The grave marked with Number 4 contained Polish military uniform buttons pat. 28/33 with a visible Polish eagle and a half of aluminum dog tag pat. 31 – soldier’s identity tag worn by participants of the September Campaign. The discovery allows assuming that this is the ‘Polish plot’ which has been looked for years.

The dog tag that was found has been secured and will be handed over for conservation. If the information contained in the inscription on the dog tag is retrieved, it will be possible to identify the soldier whom the tag belonged to. Independent of this, the discovered human remains are subject to anthropological and forensic medical examinations.

The discovery of the ‘Polish plot’ is one of the outcomes of the research conducted since June 2026 by the Central Museum of Prisoners of War and the Association of Friends of the Central Museum of Prisoners of War. The works were preceded by a penetrating analysis of historical sources, including aerial photographs. The research has also contributed to making other significant discoveries. It has allowed locating with more accuracy the mass graves of Soviet prisoners situated close to the western boundary of the Old POW Cemetery, as well as revealed an unmarked plot containing about forty single graves, most probably dating back to the years of World War 1. Moreover, in one of the digs, supposedly dating to the time of World War 2, the researchers came across remains of at least two persons, laying with no anatomical order and bearing traces of burning and damage suffered under the influence of a great force. Their origin is subject to further examinations.

The archaeological works will be carried out until 24 July 2026. They are implemented within the framework of the following projects:

• “A forest of the dead? Search for the graves of Prisoners of War in the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice”, financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and
• “In search of the graves of Poles in the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice”, co-financed by the Local Government of Opole Voivodeship.

The research works are conducted by a team led by Dr Dawid Kobiałka of the Institute of  Archaeology of the University of Łódź.