Our Earth, on which we have lived for tens of thousands of years, still hosts the traces of civilizations that existed in the past. As these traces continue to be discovered day by day, archaeologists have finally found traces of a city that was swallowed by the ocean hundreds of years ago.
Traces of the city of Rungholt, which was submerged by storms in 1362, were found for the first time in the Wadden Sea, located in the southeast of the North Sea. The first trace found in the city, which was once a commercial center, was a church.
How were the remains of the historical city discovered?
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Map location of Südfall island and its environs where ruins were found.
The discovery of traces of the city took place around the German island of Südfall. Archaeologists from Christian-Albrecht University came across the mounds during their geophysical study around the island.
One of the mounds discovered belonged to a church with a width of 40 meters and a height of 15 meters. Excavations were made in the region, and more traces of the city were found. According to the statement shared by the scientists, the size of the area under investigation reached 10 square kilometers.
Following the work that started with the discovery of the church, 54 different mounds containing structures belonging to the city, systematically constructed drainage systems, tide cover and two more small churches were mapped.
Unfortunately, many of these structures have not been able to preserve their original form. While the scientists stated that the remains were heavily eroded, they shared that they had limited time to examine the remains.
There were also legends about the city:
The city, whose traces have not been found until today, has also been the subject of some legends that have survived to the present day. Also referred to as the “Atlantis of the North Sea”, the city was said to have been submerged due to the sins of the settlers.
Also, according to local legend, Rungholt’s church bells could be heard ringing underwater on quiet nights.
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