The Netherlands is letting the public inspect a World War II map that could show the location of a massive Nazi treasure cache
· Jan 4, 2023 · NottheBee.com

This is the kind of thing that will probably bring would-be treasure hunters running from around the world:

The public will have access to a map allegedly showing where Nazis hid their looted treasure after the map went on display at the National Archive in Holland.

The map, which may point to where the Nazis hid a trove of stolen jewelry, watches, gold, diamonds and other valuables in the Betuwe region of Gelderland, a province in the Netherlands, Dutch News reported. The piece is just one of hundreds released to the public in the showing.

The "treasure" in this case would be money the Nazis stole from the Rotterdamsche Bank in 1944; the bank had taken a hit from a shell and the Nazis took the opportunity to raid its vault.

A German soldier subsequently spilled the beans on the robbery after the war, and treasure hunters have been looking for it ever since:

"They said they had picked up the things when a bank safe had taken a direct hit and the jewelry and so on was scattered all around," the Telegraaf had reported. His statement kicked off a search for the stolen goods in 1947 that proved fruitless.

Further attempts likewise ended in failure, with some believing treasure hunters already found the trove, or that it had been found at random and never revealed to the public – or, even more likely, the soldiers retrieved the goods shortly after burying them, according to NL Times.

That last one seems the most plausible. Pretty sure if I knew where a ton of money was buried, I'd go dig it up at my earliest possible convenience.

Note that the topic of "Nazi gold" is practically its own historical discipline, and it's a fraught one, too:

The present whereabouts of Nazi gold that disappeared into European banking institutions in 1945 has been the subject of several books, conspiracy theories, and a failed civil suit brought in January 2000 against the Vatican Bank, the Franciscan Order, and other defendants.

If you want to live out the countless tales of finding lost Nazi treasure, this is your chance!


Ready to join the conversation? Subscribe today.

Access comments and our fully-featured social platform.

Sign up Now
App screenshot

You must signup or login to view or post comments on this article.