Treasure hunters in final dig for 10 tonnes of hidden Nazi gold

Treasure hunters seeking 10 tonnes of Nazi gold allegedly stashed under a crumbling palace in Poland say they have been given the go-ahead to dig up a canister which may contain the loot.

Since May 2021, the Silesian Bridge Foundation, a Polish group of treasure hunters, has been digging for gold that they believe was stashed under the 18th-century palace in the village of Minkowskie.

They believe that the treasure was taken from rich German families on the orders of Heinrich Himmler, the SS chief, and buried beneath a conservatory as a war chest for a future Fourth Reich.

This week, they announced that they had received a permit to begin a crucial step of the search.

“We are excited to share with you the [receipt] of our latest permit required for the final excavation of the deposits,” Roman Furmaniak, a Silesian Bridge Foundation member, said in a message posted on YouTube.

“Save the date – September 1st! Big date for a big day!” he added.

The secret stash supposedly contains jewels and other valuables, as well as gold, which the German aristocracy allegedly handed over to the SS to protect it from the advancing Red Army near the end of the Second World War.

The Foundation said that it tracked down what could be the location of the stash by using georadar, which detected a canister under a conservatory at the palace.

The search is largely based on the discovery of what is claimed to be an SS officer’s diary and a map. The Silesian Bridge Foundation said that the documents were handed down through generations of the soldier’s family before being passed to them.

In one extract quoted in media reports, the officer writes: “My dear Inge, I will fulfil my assignment, with God’s will. Some transports were successful. The remaining 48 heavy Reichsbank’s chests and all the family chests I hereby entrust to you. Only you know where they are located. May God help you and help me fulfil my assignment.”

However, Guy Walters, a historian, cast doubt on the story of the loot, citing inconsistencies.

It remains to be seen whether the canister will end up containing untold riches, or something far less glamorous.