STOCKHOLM, August 6. /TASS/. A shipwreck with a cargo of champagne (about 100 bottles) that sank off the coast of Oland Island more than 150 years ago is now a historical monument under state protection, the Blekinge County administration said in a press release.
"The champagne bottles are a remarkably well-preserved find that gives us an insight into maritime shipping and life on board at the end of the 19th century. The shipwreck will receive clear and thorough protection as a historical monument. This means that it cannot be damaged in any way and objects cannot be removed from it without our permission," the press release quoted Magnus Johansson, the county administration's antiquarian, as saying.
According to Swedish law, ships sunk before 1850 automatically have the status of historical monuments. In some cases, however, "more recent" shipwrecks may be considered such under certain circumstances. According to preliminary estimates, the ship carrying champagne landed at the bottom of the sea in the 1850s or 1860s.
At the end of July, Polish divers discovered a ship that sank more than 150 years ago 40 kilometers south of the island of Oland. In its holds were found, among other things, about 100 bottles of champagne, the cost of which could be millions of crowns (hundreds of thousands of dollars). In addition to champagne, intact porcelain wine bottles and clay mineral water bottles were also found.