Europe's OLDEST time capsule - dating back to 1797 - is discovered hidden in a Polish church spire, containing coins and building documents

The oldest time capsule in Europe, and the second oldest in the world, has been found hidden inside a church spire.

The capsule dating back to 1797 was found by workers during renovation work on the 18th century church in the small town of Ziebice in Poland.

Opening it up, town officials found 200-year-old old coins and documents dated 1797 written in German. 

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 The oldest time capsule in Europe, and the second oldest in the world, has been found hidden inside a 18th century church spire in the small town of Ziebice in Poland

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Town officials found 200-year-old old coins and documents dated 1797 written in German. In the 18th century the town was called Münsterberg and was part of the Kingdom of Prussia

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 The documents in the capsule include names of the people involved in the building of the church. One was a personal note from two women who donated money for construction. Pictured, one of the documents found in the capsule

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One of the only time capsules older than this newly discovered one is the the Boston time capsule, which dates back to 1795 and was found in 2015. Pictured, 200-year-old coins discovered in the Polish time capsule 

In the 18th century the town was called Münsterberg and was part of the Kingdom of Prussia. 

The town's mayor Mariusz Szpilarewicz said: 'All indications are that it may be one of the oldest time capsules found in the world.

'The oldest capsule in the world dates back to the 18th century and was discovered in Boston, USA. 

 'Our capsule is probably two years younger than the Boston one.'

The Boston time capsule was discovered at the Massachusetts State House in 2014, hidden behind a painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.

Inside was an engraved silver plate proclaiming that the capsule was hidden in 1795 by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, along with a host of other items. 

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The capsule was found by workers during renovations of the church (pictured) and the contents were handed over to town officials, who have examined the contents

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The capsule was hidden inside the spire of the church (pictured). The town's mayor Mariusz Szpilarewicz said it may be one of the oldest time capsules found in the world

They included newspapers from the time, along with a collection of coins including a rare 1652 Pine Tree shilling - minted in what was than an English colony in defiance of the King.

Also included were coins dated after the capsule was first buried, leading to the discovery that it had been unearthed once before - in 1855 - when the contents were cleaned, new items were added, and it was reburied. 

The documents in the Polish time capsule relate to the construction of the church which was built in 1797 on the site of a 15th century castle and include names of the people involved in the building of the church as well as donors.

One of the papers was a personal note from two women who donated money for the building of the church. 

Alongside the canister, documents and photographs were found dating back to 1902-1903. 

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The German documents were dated 1797 and will now be fully translated and undergo conservation work before being put on display

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The documents in the Polish time capsule relate to the construction of the church which was built in 1797 on the site of a 15th century castle

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Alongside the canister, documents and photographs were found dating back to 1902-1903. They include a newspaper Münsterberger Zeitung dated 20 August 1902 and evangelical prayer books

They include a newspaper Münsterberger Zeitung dated 20 August 1902 and evangelical prayer books.

According to officials, they are in a severely damaged condition and probably date from an earlier renovation.

The mayor said: 'These people wanted to tell us: 'we were here, we put our heart and life into this, and now you take it over and look after what we left here.'

The documents will now be fully translated and undergo conservation work before being put on display.