Despite efforts by archeologists and historians in a Dutch village, no precious jewelry looted by Nazis during World War II has been found.
The sanctioned hunt in Ommeren was conducted by a team including the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and local historical society members. The search used a magnetometer and mechanical digger, locating a bullet, scrap metal, and muddy boots but no jewelry. The officials hope that the hunt’s failure will discourage amateur treasure hunters from visiting the village.
Archaeologist Martijn Bink stated that the chances for finding anything were minimal. He explained that three holes were dug where the detection device showed a signal, but no treasure was found. Based on this outcome, Bink believes they won’t continue with any further searches.
The local municipality contributed funds for the latest search, which was prompted by the appearance of a hand-drawn map earlier this year. The map had a red letter X marking the supposed location where jewelry looted by Nazi soldiers had been buried after an explosion at a bank vault. The map inspired modern-day treasure hunters to use metal detectors and dig up sites around Ommeren, despite the ban.
The local municipality provided funding for the most recent search because of a map discovered earlier this year. The hand-drawn map had a red letter X marking the location where the Nazis supposedly buried the looted jewelry after a bank vault explosion. Prospectors inspired by the map used metal detectors to search for treasure despite a ban.
The local municipality funded the latest hunt after a hand-drawn map with a red letter X on it was found earlier this year. The map marked the supposed burial spot where the Nazis had hidden the stolen jewelry following an explosion at a bank vault. The appearance of the map triggered a modern-day treasure hunt with people using metal detectors to search for the treasure around Ommeren despite the ban.
The Germans took as much of the stolen jewelry from the bank vault as they could and stored it in ammunition boxes, which were buried in Ommeren. A German soldier’s account, given after the war to Dutch authorities, provided this information, as cited by Karin Vredenbregt.
After the war, Dutch authorities combed Ommeren for the treasure, but they did not find anything. The search ended, but the map’s publication earlier this year prompted a new search in January. Unfortunately, the search again proved fruitless, burying the last chance of recovering the stolen treasure. Corder reported from The Hague.