Treasure hunters banned from Dutch village after Nazi gold map sparks rush of detectorists digging up parks and gardens
10 January 2023, 12:10
British treasure hunters have been warned to stay away from a Dutch village after hordes of shovel-wielding map readers descended on front gardens in search of Nazi treasure.
Police handed out 15 warnings to prospective treasure hunters after around 100 people - including a number of Brits, travelled to the village of Ommeren, to the south east of Amsterdam.
Rumours surrounding the buried loot emerged after the Nazi treasure map was released online by Dutch archivists from the National Archives of the Netherlands.
The map is said to lead to buried Nazi riches worth millions, which were stolen from a bank by Hitler's soldiers over 75 years ago.
The second world war stash - consisting of coins, watches, jewels and cash - has never been found.
However, given its supposed location beside a main road, it's believed the loot could have been discovered decades ago by a passer-by and never disclosed.
Released alongside 1,300 pages of documents, the map was released as part of the archive's annual Public Access Day.
It was accompanied by a witness statement and hand-drawn map, depicting Ommeren and Lienden – with a classic X marking the spot of the treasure.
Hand drawn by furniture maker Helmut Sonder, the Baden-Baden native was a member of the German parachute regiment, positioned near the German front line.
“It’s like a child’s book,” Annet Waalkens, a freedom of information adviser at the National Archive, told The Telegraph.
It's believe the post-war Dutch Institute of Asset and Property Management believed the soldier’s accounts to be true, making three attempts to secure the loot following the admission.
“In the first, the ground was frozen so they couldn’t dig, in the second, the metal detectors didn’t work, and in the third attempt, they brought back the German soldier so he could point out where it was buried,” said Waalkens.
However, no treasure has ever been found, with authorities now warning it is illegal to use metal detectors or to dig without a permit.
They added that all finds must be reported, even where a permit is held.
Police also warned of the dangers of “unexploded bombs, landmines and grenades”.
Dr Joost Rosendaal, a historian at the Radboud Institute for Culture and History, added: “It is very plausible that something was buried in Ommeren, but the chance that the Germans didn’t pick it up or that it wasn’t found by Canadians, Americans or the Dutch, I think, is relatively small.”
