18th-Century Plague Cemetery Discovered in Northern Poland

MIKOŁAJKI, POLAND—According to a report in The First News, a roadside cemetery holding the remains of 100 people in 60 graves was discovered in northern Poland during an investigation ahead of construction work. The cemetery holds the remains of victims of the Great Northern War plague, which raged in northern Poland and central eastern Europe from 1700 to 1721. Archaeologist Agnieszka Jaremek said the cemetery was used when church cemeteries ran out of space. “Many graves conceal whole families—both adults and children,” she said. The cemetery was used into the nineteenth century, she added. The investigation also uncovered evidence of a Neolithic settlement, including pottery and a blue glass bead, that was situated on a lake. To read about Jewish burials that were recently uncovered in the Polish town of Leżajsk, go to "Honoring the Dead."