Archaeologists recently unearthed the remnants of a historic royal palace from a Polish river, shedding light on a violent part of the country’s history.

The Museum of Polish History announced the discovery in a Sept. 10 press release. The artifacts were uncovered in the Vistula River in Warsaw, and were connected to the 17th-century royal residence Villa Regia.

Officials described Villa Regia as “one of the most magnificent palaces of 17th-century Europe,” before it was looted and destroyed during the Swedish Deluge, which lasted from 1655 to 1660.

The Swedish military occupied the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during that time. Historians estimate that as much as a quarter of the population was lost, marking one of the deadliest chapters in the nation’s history.

In 1656, Swedish tro

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