Belgian construction workers have discovered a treasure trove of gold worth an estimated €9 million after breaking thru a secret part of a subterranean wall during renovation work on a property.
The remarkable find was uncovered in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, in East Flanders, during renovation work on a property now owned by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a social welfare organization.
The workers were said to be working on the groundworks for the installation of a sewer pipe when they saw something that looked like normal coins in the rubble.
A local media report said an 18-year-old student worker, who is known only as Kobe, thought the coins were €1 pieces. The discovery became dramatic as the workmen began to pick up gold from among the wreckage and kept digging.
The stash had been concealed in a box built into the wall of the cellar. Early reports said it included at least 4,000 gold coins and more than 40 gold bars with a total worth provisionally estimated at roughly €9 million.
The workers promptly called their boss and the police. Authorities then seized the gold and deposited it in a safe spot as investigators started trying to track down where it came from and who owned it.
The public prosecutor’s office in East Flanders is investigating the circumstances surrounding the hiding of the riches at the home and whether it could be linked to criminal conduct. Officials have not yet been able to verify who the gold’s original owners were, or when it was hidden.
The place has an interesting history. It was formerly linked with a local brewer who resided there from c. 1900, but officials have been unable to link the prior residents to the buried treasure.
The find has also raised doubts regarding who may eventually be entitled to the treasure. Reported under Belgian rules by several outlets, a rightful owner has five years to step forward. If no rightful owner can be discovered and the treasure is not the fruit of any illegal action, the ownership may eventually be regulated by Belgium’s found property rules.
Meanwhile, authorities have cautioned the public not to approach the site of the demolition in search of more gold, claiming the area is dangerous and the treasure has been evacuated.
What started as a routine restoration project has turned into a once-in-a-lifetime discovery for the construction crew; one that might potentially have a huge financial and legal consequence until investigators find out where the €9 million windfall originated from and who has the legal right to it.
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