Archaeologists made an incredible discovery when they discovered a nearly 80-year old hazelnut and almond cookie that was ‘heavily charcoalled and blackened’ by British air raids on a German city during World War II.
The cake, which was still wrapped in wax paper, was discovered in a cellar in the port city of Lübeck, according to a translated statement from Hansestadt Lübeck.
Other than the cake, there were other items such as coffee service (consisting plates, knives, and spoons) or records, including Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or the symphony Number. 9 was added.
Experts Lisa Renn and Doris Mührenberg noted that the cake still has roughly the same shape as when it was baked.
Archaeologists discovered that a cake was ‘heavily burned and blackened’ by an air raid on Germany by the British during World War II.
Experts Lisa Renn (left) and Doris Mührenberg (right) noted that the cake still has roughly the same shape as when it was baked
The cake also contains its nut filling, and the sugar decorations can be seen clearly.
According to the statement, it also contains its nut filling. The sugar decorations are also ‘clearly noticeable’ on the cake.
Renn stated that although the exterior is heavily charred and blackened by soot, the heat has shrunk to only one-third of its original height.
The cake was most likely consumed during the 1942 air attack, which occurred between March 28th and 29.
The cake, still wrapped in wax paper, was found in a cellar in Lübeck, Germany
The British Royal Air Force bombed the city in retaliation for the Nazi blitz of Coventry, England in 1940, according to Dirk Rieger, head of the Department of Archaeology for the Hanseatic City of Lübeck Historic Monuments Protection Authority
During the war, Nazi Germany hosted a prisoner-of-war camp for officers in Lübeck between 1940 and April 1945
The British Royal Air Force bombed the city in retaliation for the Nazi blitz of Coventry, England in 1940, Dirk Rieger, head of the Department of Archaeology for the Hanseatic City of Lübeck Historic Monuments Protection Authority, told LiveScience.
The cake was still unwrapped after the Palm Sunday bombings began, and everything fell into its cellar, Rieger explained to the news outlet.
The statement stated that the cake was not broken and that it is “currently the only pastry type of its kind that has been archaeologically uncovered in northern Germany.”
Dr. Rieger stated in the statement that he had examined samples of the glaze and filling in order to discover the secrets of the cake’s structure.
Researchers are not sure whose cake it was, but a Lübeck merchant named Johann Wärme lived in the destroyed house, the statement added, citing ‘old city books.’
It is possible that the cake and coffee were used for a festival, or for Palm Sunday celebrations.
‘The discovery of the Lübecker Torte represents a very private, almost intimate connection to the city’s day, which was so decisive in history,’ the statement explained.
Construction workers discovered the cake in the Old Town district of the city, near the town hall, and’main marketplace area’, Rieger explained to Live Science.
It was brought to Lübeck’s restoration lab, where it was cleaned and samples were taken.
Lübeck was eventually occupied – without resistance – by the British on May 2, 1945
Researchers must ensure that the bombs were not contaminated with chemicals.
Dr. Rieger stated, “It took 79 year before these special contemporary witness, who also reflect direct moment of destruction through the own transience, fragile materiality, and came to light again and nobody knew that their existence at all,”
Lübeck, officially known as the Hanseatic City of Lübeck, was founded by Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstei.
The port city was well-known for its international trade during the Middle Ages. Merchants traded cloth, fish, and a variety of other goods that were exported and imported by sea.
It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In 2015, it hosted the G7 conference.
Between 1940 and 1945, Nazi Germany maintained a prisoner of war camp in the city for officers.
Lübeck was eventually occupied – without resistance – by the British on May 2, 1945.