An almost 80-year-old map has fueled the treasure fever in the Netherlands. In the village of Ommeren in the southeast of the country near the German border, treasure hunters from all over the country have been digging for days for a Nazi treasure allegedly hidden there.
At the end of World War II, German soldiers are said to have buried four chests full of jewels, coins and jewelry there at the foot of three poplars.
The National Archives had meanwhile published the sketch of the hiding place with the entire file on the curious case.
Content potentially worth millions of euros
The German Helmut Sonder from Baden-Baden testified in 1946 that he and his comrades had found the jewels. A bank in Arnhem was hit in an air raid in 1944. A safe was also destroyed. The content: gold, diamonds, jewelry, music boxes, coins. The National Archives suspects that this involves several million euros. In his own words, Sonder, who was stationed in Arnhem at the time, and his comrades hid the treasure in ammunition boxes and buried it in the spring of 1945.
Multiple failed attempts
According to the file, the Dutch authorities ordered the search for the alleged treasure as early as 1946. Vain. Then Sonder was brought in to do the job. On June 22, 1947, he himself dug the spade into the ground near the poplars – but found nothing but earth. He himself suspected that his former sergeant had secretly returned and retrieved the treasure. An international manhunt was unsuccessful.
Historians and authorities question reports
Historians and authorities doubt whether the jewels are in Ommeren. Especially since no one had reported the loss of jewelry in nearly 80 years. But that doesn’t stop amateur treasure hunters. Nor the fact that the landscape looks very different now. In any case, the three poplars are no longer there. The police do warn that digging and searching with metal detectors is prohibited. The treasure hunters may come across something quite different. Near Ommeren the Germans had buried mines in the ground.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
