Hermitage treasures of Catherine the Great to be salvaged from sea floor
- On 12/02/2008
- In Treasure Hunting / Recoveries
- 0 comments
From DNI
The 18th century sailing ship Frau Maria (Vrouw Maria) that was carrying the Hermitage treasures onboard when it sank in the Baltic Sea near the shore of Finland is going to be lifted.
The salvage works will be jointly carried out by the Russian and Finnish parties.
This schooner was transporting treasures ordered by Catherine II the Great for the Hermitage says Anatoli Vilkov, Head of Rossvyazokhrankultura, the Russian media and culture supervision agency.
According to him, jewelry and China collections might have remained intact on board the ship. Previously divers discovered that the cargo had not been damaged during the shipwreck, yet they managed to lift only six items.
The precious cargo intended for the Russian imperial court never reached the shore of the Northern capital. The schooner started off from the seaport in October 1771 yet was caught in a heavy storm and wrecked nearby Aland Islands.
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