Lost 15th-Century Royal Art Found as Manhole Cover in Russia

• Workers cleaning a sewer in Vyborg, Russia, discovered an unusual manhole cover with intricate carvings.
• The carvings depicted a helmet, wings, and a shield, prompting suspicion among the workers.
• Archaeologists identified the manhole cover as a lost 15th-century heraldic slab belonging to the powerful Tott family.
• The slab, once adorning Vyborg Castle's royal chambers around 1450, had been missing for centuries.
• A 19th-century researcher's sketch confirmed the manhole cover's identity as the vanished royal artifact.

Why It Matters: A priceless 15th-century royal artifact, missing for centuries, was found repurposed as a manhole cover.