Real or mystery: What do we know about the Viking stronghold in Baltics?

The Polish government did not know that calling an archaeologist to do research on a Baltic island before building an observation tower there would shed light on a mystery.

Wojciech Filipowiak, the expert, has found artefacts on Wolin Island during his research on charcoaled wood materials.

These artefacts could unearth evidence of a centuries-old Viking stronghold of Jomsborg, which has been mentioned in ancient texts.

“It is very exciting,” Dr Filipowiak, a scholar in Wolin with the archaeology and ethnology section of Poland’s Academy of Sciences said in The New York Times article. “It could solve a mystery going back more than 500 years: Where is Jomsborg?”

Debates have already been underway over the island's history, where evidence found in Hangmen's Hill has raised questions about whether it is a mystery or a fearsome fortress. It is believed that Vikings established outposts in Poland over 1000 years ago, where they traded and enslaved indigenous Slavic people.

Some historians believe that the stronghold is proof that Jomsborg was a real place, while others believe that it is simply a Viking-era settlement.

Historically the region has been under Viking and German control.

The Nazis deployed their scientists to conduct research in Wolin to find evidence of Viking presence there. This was to support their ideology of Nordic superiority and dominance over Slavic people, which they used to justify their invasion of Poland.

On the other side, Polish historians and archaeologists later searched for artefacts to bolster their national identity.

Interest in Vikings has surged in recent years, thanks in part to popular culture phenomenons like Game of Thrones.

The mayor of Wolin hopes that the discovery will boost tourism to the island.