How a Nazi treasure map kept classified for nearly 100 years sparked hunt for £15million cache of coins, gold & diamonds

A MASS hunt was sparked aft a Nazi treasure representation resurfaced showing wherever a £15 cardinal stash of golden coins and jewels had been buried during World War Two.

Hunters visited an obscure Dutch colony named Ommeren aft archivists released a papers that had been confidential to the public.

A huffy hunt for the goods started successful the village, astir 80 kilometres south-east of Amsterdam, aft a manus drawn representation was unearthed successful 2023.

The elemental representation marked the spot wherever 4 German soldiers were thought to person buried ammunition cases filled with valuables, astatine the extremity of the war.

A tiny X connected the map, marked disconnected a roadworthy conscionable southbound of the tiny hamlet, sparked the frenzied search.

It has been believed these cases included golden coins, gemstones, watches, and jewellery worthy astir 2 to 3 cardinal Dutch guilder successful 1945.

Experts person converted this and estimation it's worthy a immense sum of implicit £15 cardinal today.

These riches were seemingly taken during the 1944 Nazi bombing of a slope successful Arnhem, astir 40 kilometres eastbound of Ommeren, according to War History Online.

The frantic hunt started aft the National Archives of The Netherlands released implicit 1,300 documents successful January 2023.

Experts believed these evident treasures were buried successful April 1945, arsenic the Allies were astir to spare the portion from Nazi rule.

An advisor astatine the nationalist archive said her mentation was the soldiers had go disquieted astir this update successful the warfare and decided to hide their wealth, according to The Guardian.

An service of gold-diggers descended upon the tiny colony successful the pursuing months.

Local officials successful Ommeren had antecedently banned the usage of metallic detectors successful October 2022 but revealed this hadn't stopped the unreserved of searchers and visitors.

"We’ve warned disconnected astatine slightest 15 radical since the commencement of January who were utilizing metallic detectors," a spokesperson for the adjacent metropolis of Buren, Birgit Van Aken-Quint, told The Guardian.

She added that nary of these golden hunters person been capable to find the treasures.

Birgit added that they believed the valuables were erstwhile successful the colony but person since been removed.

Despite this message, online sleuths person continued their searches successful the area.

She warned: "If radical again effort to spell and find the treasure, we’ll enforce the ban."

Experts accidental German soldiers fled erstwhile the Allies were adjacent to freeing Arnhem, eastbound Netherlands.

The National Archives revealed however a chatty worker was the cardinal to this representation and the treasures.

National Archives advisor Annet Waalkens told The Observer: "They [soldiers] determine to hide the treasure, due to the fact that it’s conscionable getting a spot excessively blistery nether their feet and they’re getting scared."

Helmut S, whose afloat sanction the National Archives are withholding, was calved successful 1925 and is the lone solider who could inactive beryllium live but helium has yet to beryllium traced.

"Loose-lipped" Helmut S revealed the hoard was discovered erstwhile an Arnhem subdivision of the Rotterdamsche slope was bombed successful August 1944.

A smashed harmless near down jewels, coins and the similar strewn crossed the street.

People past pocketed what they could and hid the loot successful zinc ammunition boxes afterwards.

Local authorities carried retired 3 searches from 1946 to 1947 but recovered thing each time.

They recruited Helmut S to assistance arsenic helium was the 1 who supplied the representation successful the archetypal spot but inactive recovered nothing.

Experts stay unsure who really created the representation but it has been secured safely.

Dutch officials speculate the treasure could person been dug up by a section who saw its burial oregon by surviving German worker Helmut.

But Joost Rosendaal, an adjunct prof successful past astatine Radboud assemblage successful The Netherlands thinks Helmut S's relationship could good beryllium bogus.

Joost says it's not imaginable that Helmut S's comrades came crossed the treasure successful the thoroughfare pursuing a weaponry arsenic Arnhem was not bombed that month.

The historiographer thinks the different soldiers are astir apt liable for stealing the jewels backmost successful November 1944 erstwhile German forces acceptable Arnhem’s Rotterdamsche slope ablaze, with the occurrence serving to "hide the robbing of the bank".

He doubts the treasure volition ever beryllium recovered contempt the attempts from the online sleuths who tried their luck with banned metallic detectors.