January 13, 2023
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The release of an old map prompted many Dutch people to set out in search of Nazi treasures allegedly hidden near the German border at the end of World War II.
Since last weekend, treasure hunters from all over the country have been digging holes in the small town of Ommeren in the southeast of the Netherlands in search of the treasure allegedly buried there.
At the foot of three trees, German soldiers are said to have buried four chests full of jewels, coins and precious stones.
The treasure hunt began after the National Archives of the Netherlands released the roughly 80yearold map of the hideout with the entire file last week. The map quickly spread among treasure hunters.
“This is an authentic treasure map from the archives of the Netherlands Institute containing references to a never found Nazi treasure allegedly buried near Ommeren. They have tried several times to find it without success,” they wrote in the press release At the beginning of January, the documents can now be viewed completely free of charge.
Origin of the alleged treasure
The “treasure” is said to come from a bank in Arnhem in the east of the Netherlands.
German soldier Helmut Sonder claimed in 1946 that he and three companions found the belongings after a bank branch in Arnhem was the target of an air raid in 1944, which also destroyed the vault.
The content: gold, diamonds, jewellery, music boxes, coins. The national archive suspects that it may be worth several million euros.
The treasure is believed to have been worth at least 2 to 3 million Dutch guilders in 1945, which is about $18.4 million.
Sonder, who was stationed in Arnhem at the time, said he and his colleagues took the treasure and hid it in ammunition boxes and later buried it in the spring of 1945 when the Allies were trying to liberate the Naziheld city.
The valuable cargo would have been buried in the roots of a poplar, 7080 cm deep, on the outskirts of the town of Ommeren, some 40 km from Arnhem.
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caption,
Those who wish can go to the National Archives of the Netherlands in The Hague and consult the map
questions from historians
Several searches by Dutch authorities in 1946 and 1947 failed, AnneMarieke Samson, spokeswoman for the Dutch National Archives, told Portal.
At that time, Sonder was commissioned to lead the search because two of his colleagues did not survive and there is no trace of the third. On June 22, 1947, he dug a hole near the poplars himself, but found nothing but dirt.
He suspected his former first sergeant had snuck back and dug up the treasure. But the international search was unsuccessful.
Archival experts are not sure who created the map, but believe it was one of the German soldiers.
After the handover by Sonder, the map went into the archives of the Beheersinstituut on the condition that it be kept secret for several years to protect the financial interests of the owners.
Historians and authorities doubt that the jewels are in Ommeren mainly because nobody has reported that the jewels have been lost in almost 80 years.
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Metal detectors cannot be used for security purposes, but this does not deter treasure hunters. And not even the fact that the landscape is very different now. The three poplars, for example, no longer exist.
The police have already warned that digging and searching with metal detectors is prohibited in this Dutch municipality. Treasure hunters might come across something completely different, like old bombs or landmines buried in Ommeren by the Germans during World War II.
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Soldiers during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944
Experts also reminded that the region is close to the front lines of World War II. Therefore, the search in this place is extremely dangerous due to possible duds. In addition, the monument law prohibits archaeological excavations. Strict rules apply to this.
Treasure hunters have been digging on private property, according to a community spokesman, although police have not issued any fines, only warnings to leave the area.
The owner of a private property found a man chestdeep in a hole he dug himself in search of treasure, according to local press reports.
Nazi Treasures
It’s not the first time that the release of a new document has sparked a race by treasure hunters to find relics hidden by the Nazis during World War II.
It is known that during the conflict the Nazi army managed not only to seize large amounts of gold, but also to steal a number of works of art. Many of these have yet to appear.
It is estimated that the Nazis managed to steal around 5 million works of art, coming from both museums and private collections, particularly those belonging to Jews.
In 2020, a Nazi diary, written by an Adolf Hitler SS officer and kept secret for over 75 years, was released, listing up to 11 locations in Poland where the Nazis may have hidden treasure before looting and stealing it have hidden.
The diary was in the hands of a Masonic lodge to which the officer belonged until 2019 when it was given to a Polish foundation as an apology for events during World War II.