The Quest for Viking King Bluetooth's Lost Grave

---

Hollywood was Calling

For OKM, the story began in 2019 in Chwarszczany, Poland. The OKM expert team has joined excavations at the Templar Church and explored the site with 3D ground scanner OKM eXp 6000 and the ground penetrating radar OKM Gepard GPR 3D. In the following months, excavations have been initiated by local archaeologists, until finally in 2021 the US TV network Discovery Channel became involved in the project.

The team behind the show Expedition Unknown, hosted by explorer Josh Gates, came across OKM's blog post about the Templar Church and made contact with us. Further lively exchanges with the local archaeologists finally led to the sensational discovery of the graves in 2021.

During their visit and further research, the Expedition Unknown team discovered many more fascinating clues to numerous impressive sites in the area. One of those legends led the team to the Baltic Sea, this time again with the support of OKM and its professional detectors.

Historical Background

The expedition followed the story of King Harald Bluetooth, the 10th century Viking king who is acknowledged as the founder of Denmark. Due to his conversion to Christianity, there is uncertainty in history as to whether he was buried in or around a church or in a burial mound, as was the Viking tradition of the time.

In the absence of reliable historical records (as the sagas are considered more mythical than factual), the team relied on archaeological findings and a legend of a Viking fortification known as Jomsborg, which is believed to be where Bluetooth met his demise. The existence of Jomsborg is debated by some as a mere legend while others claim it to be true. It is believed to be situated in the Wolin region.

The original discovery of the Curmsun Disc gives evidence to suggest that this church has been constructed on top of an older one. Thus, the OKM detectors and ground scanners were used to scan the church interior, the grounds surrounding the church, and the site of the former church chapel. What did the Expedition Unknown team expect to discover there? A hidden basement that could potentially reveal a crypt, or anomalies that indicate buried ruins or deposits.

The Quest for the Legendary Viking Stronghold Jomsborg

The Viking stronghold Jomsborg at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea had existed between the 960s and 1043. Its exact location, or even existence, has not been proven yet. Jomsborg is often thought to be near a particular hill north of the modern town of Wolin in north-west Poland. In fact, latest satellite imagery suggests a grouping of potential burial mounds. These circle sites in the forest are expected to give further clues to find Bluetooth’s burial site and the legendary Viking fortress Jomsborg.

Ground scans with the very flexible OKM Gepard GPR 3D and the compact OKM Rover UC have been performed around and on the mounds to find signatures of larger settlements, burial sites, or the very recognizable shape of a ring fortress. By scanning a wider perimeter, signatures of surrounding palisades, especially walls which break at each of the cardinal directions, can be detected.

COMING UP NEXT

Find out ...

• ... what the scan data reveal to the experts.
• ... what happened during filming at the church.
• ... what Josh Gates and his team excavated.

---

---

Get Rewarded for Your Treasure Finds

---