Nazi gold train

The so-called Nazi gold train and Wałbrzych gold train concerns a local legend of up to three Nazi German-era trains buried underground in Lower Silesia in January 1945 toward the end of World War II.[1] The area is now part of southwest Poland, but was then part of southeast Germany. The train(s) are believed to be near the Polish city of Wałbrzych, which until 1945 was the German city of Waldenburg.

According to local legend, the train or trains left Breslau (now Wrocław) laden with gold and other treasures. They were driven into a system of tunnels under the Owl Mountains that were part of an unfinished Nazi secret Project Riese (German for "giant")[2] near Wałbrzych. There they were buried in a warren of tunnels and mines created by the Nazis. The train(s) are rumored to hold up to 300 tons of gold, jewels, weapons, and masterpieces.[3][4][5]

According to historians, it has never been proven the train(s) ever existed.[2] In Poland's Communist era, the Polish army carried out fruitless searches.[6]

2015 possible discovery

Alleged hiding place of the Gold Train in Wałbrzych
Railway embankment at "Zone 65", on Uczniowska Street, Wałbrzych, where it was claimed the Gold Train was hidden
Traces of track near "Zone 65"

In late August 2015, news stories began circulating about two unidentified men who had obtained a death-bed confession about a buried gold train.[6] The two were later identified as Peter Koper of Poland and Andreas Richter of Germany,[1] co-owners of the mine exploration company XYZ S.C.[7][8] Using lawyers as an intermediary, the two men reportedly opened negotiation with the Polish government for a "finders fee" of 10 percent of the value of the train in return for information leading to its location.[6] They said they would reveal the exact location once the documents were signed.[9] Koper and Richter would later claim information was leaked by someone within the government.[8] "The media uproar around the "gold train" was unleashed not by us, finders, but because of the leak of confidential documents that were filed in state offices."[8]

On August 28, Polish Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Żuchowski announced that ground-penetrating radar images taken by Koper and Richter confirmed with 99 percent probability that a train of 100 meters in length had been found.[6][10] However on August 31, Tomasz Smolarz, Governor of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, told reporters that "There is no more proof for this alleged discovery than for other claims made over the years," saying, "It's impossible to claim that such a find actually exists at the location indicated based on the documents that have been submitted."[11] Smolarz qualified that he had not seen the images reported by Żuchowski.[11]

On September 4, Koper and Richter went public for the first time, breaking their previous anonymity. They announced that the precise location of the train had been given to Polish authorities.[9] In bid to assuage doubters,[8] they also released images they had taken with a KS-700 Ground Penetrating Radar system that appeared to show a 50-meter deep man-made shaft with something in it.[12]

The Polish authorities sectioned off a section of woodland in the area where the train was believed to be, as well as deploying police and other guards in order to prevent access to the numerous treasure hunters, including some Germans, who had arrived armed with detection equipment.[13] In late September, the Polish military, acting at the request of the regional governor, began to clear the surface of trees and search for booby traps and mines.[14] The military confirmed on October 4 that no explosives or other dangers existed, down to a meter depth, and handed the site back to local authorities who would decide what to do next.[15]

In mid-November two different teams were cleared by city authorities in Wałbrzych for the oncoming tasks at the area believed to host the train.[16] Forthcoming work at the area included drilling and the use of ground-penetrating radar. The first team cleared for further work was a private group led by the two men Peter Koper of Poland and Andreas Richter of Germany. The second team were specialists from the University of Science and Technology in Kraków. If the teams produced convincing results, excavation of the site would begin in the Spring of 2016. On November 8 investigators from the first team started surveying the area using magnetic field detectors, thermal imaging cameras and radars.[17]

On 15 December, a team of researchers headed by Janusz Madej from Krakow Mining Academy announced that a survey had found no evidence of a train, though possible evidence of a collapsed tunnel.[18] Koper and Richter stood by their claim of a train to which Madej responded "It's human to make a mistake, but it’s foolish to stand by it."[19] A representative of the city said they would need to decide what to do next since drilling holes would be time consuming and costly.[19]

Location

The train is believed to be next to a 4-kilometre (2.5-mile) stretch of track on Polish State Railways' Wrocław–Wałbrzych line.[20] Some sources state that it is at "kilometre 65",[5] while others give the location as between kilometre 61 and 65.[13]

Second location

On September 11, a Polish man, Krzysztof Szpakowski, held a news conference announcing that he found a massive underground shelter built by the Nazis capable of holding thousands of people.[21] He said the shelter was part of the "Riese" system and it could contain anything, though he was dubious it contained a "gold train."[21] Walbrzych regional authorities said they were seeking state funds for exploration.[21] On October 10, authorities began drilling bore holes to lower cameras to explore the site.[22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Matthew Day (September 4, 2015). "Polish soldiers seal off 'Nazi gold train' location as finders reveal their 'clear evidence'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Associated Press (August 20, 2015). "Men claim to find Nazi train loaded with treasure in Poland". USA Today (Gannett Company). Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  3. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (August 28, 2015). "Deathbed confession may have revealed location of 'Nazi gold train'". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  4. ↑ "Poland radar image 'almost certainly Nazi train'". BBC News (BBC). August 28, 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  5. 1 2 Drury, Flora (August 29, 2015). "Nazi gold train may contain 'Amber Room' given by Tsar Peter the Great to King of Prussia". Daily Mail (DMG Media). Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Gitau, Beatrice (August 28, 2015). "Deathbed confession reveals location of Nazi train that might contain gold". Yahoo! News. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  7. ↑ "XYZ Spółka Cywilna". Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Ed Wight (September 4, 2015). "Is this really proof that the Nazi gold train exists? Two men who sparked global frenzy release radar image in bid to silence doubters". Daily Mail. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Aisha Gani (September 4, 2015). "Men tell Polish TV they have 'irrefutable proof' Nazi gold train exists". The Guardian. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Generalny Konserwator Zabytków potwierdza istnienie ukrytego pociągu". Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego. August 28, 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Poland backtracks on Nazi 'gold train' discovery". Yahoo! News. AFP. August 31, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ Day, Matthew (September 4, 2015). "Polish soldiers seal off 'Nazi gold train' location as finders reveal their 'clear evidence'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  13. 1 2 "‘Nazi gold train’ draws treasure hunters to south-west Poland". The Guardian. AFP. August 31, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Joanna Berendt (September 29, 2015). "Possible Nazi Tunnels Fuel Treasure Seekers in Poland". New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Polish military says site of alleged Nazi gold train is safe". Radio Poland. October 4, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Two teams cleared to find 'Nazi gold train' in Poland". Radio Poland. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ "'Nazi gold train' investigators start surveying site in Poland". The Guardian. November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Nazi gold train: 'No evidence' of discovery in Poland". BBC News. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Joanna Berendt (December 15, 2015). "Hopes Dashed Again in Hunt for Fabled Nazi Gold Train in Poland". New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  20. ↑ Alexander, Harriet (August 28, 2015). "Did a deathbed confession reveal the location of Nazi gold train?". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  21. 1 2 3 "Polish man finds 'Nazi underground shelter' in 'gold train' tunnel system". Daily Telegraph. September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Buried Nazi tunnels? Polish province drills down after explorer’s claim". Global News. Associated Press. October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.

External links

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