Treasure hunters are hoping to dig up 48 barrels of Adolf Hitler’s gold hidden under an ancient palace.
The treasure is estimated to be worth nearly 900 million USD. The hunt began after treasure hunters followed clues in the diary of a Schutzstaffel officer, with the code name Michaelis. Schutzstaffel, abbreviated SS, was a military organization of Nazi Germany, under the command of Adolf Hitler.
In addition to gold, this treasure is said to include many valuable jewelry and assets of the German elite. The diary reveals the key to the treasure that disappeared from the Wroclaw city police headquarters.
Memoirs of the SS officer codenamed Michaelis. Conservation experts determined the diary was written during World War II, but Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has not confirmed its authenticity. Photo: Fot. Mariusz Przygoda/Silesian Bridge Foundation
The treasure hunters, from the non-profit organization Silesian Bridge, located it after searching for secret documents next to the above diary. They also have in hand a treasure map received from descendants of SS officers – people who frequented a secret motel dating back more than 1,000 years. This 10th-century lodge in Quedlinburg was built under the first German king Henry the Fowler. Members of Quedlinburg were given high-ranking positions at many Nazi establishments.
The team of hunters started digging for treasure in early May, and expected to find 10 tons of gold in the ancient 18th century castle from the village of Minkowskie, southern Poland. This treasure is said to serve the establishment of the Fourth Reich at the end of World War II, under the direction of SS boss Heinrich Himmler.
The memoir also reveals another treasure trove, where 28 tons of valuable objects were buried at the bottom of a well. However, the Silesian Bridge team chose to excavate the Minkowskie mansion because the entrance was more accessible.
Another instructive document is a letter from a high-ranking SS officer named von Stein, written to a woman working at the palace who later became his lover. “My dear Inge, I will complete my mission, God willing. Some of the transports have been successful. The remaining 48 heavy chests of the Reichsbank and all the family chests that I entrust it to you. Only you know where they are. May God bless and help you to complete your mission well,” von Stein wrote.
The castle is said to be the burial place of treasure worth nearly billions of dollars. Photo: Fot. Mariusz Przygoda/Silesian Bridge Foundation
Inge later changed her appearance and identity to hide her identity. She even married a local man, living a normal life to keep the treasure safe for 60 years, until her death.
Minkowskie Palace was built by Prussian general Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, and later housed the Red Army and the Polish Army. This historic building later became a local council office, a nursery and a cinema, before being rented out on a long-term basis.
