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Rumoured discovery of Nazi train sets off Polish gold rush

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The alleged discovery of a Nazi "gold train" in western Poland has perked up the ears of treasure-hunters to such a degree that the government felt the need Thursday to warn them it could be booby-trapped.

Local media have for days been abuzz with old lore of trains full of gold and jewels stolen by the German Nazis after two men -- a German and a Pole -- claimed to have found an armoured train car in the southwestern city of Walbrzych.

The train's existence, let alone its contents if any, has not been confirmed but officials are taking the claim seriously.

"There may be hazardous substances dating from the Second World War in the hidden train, which I'm convinced exists," culture ministry secretary of state Piotr Zuchowski said in a statement.

"There's a huge probability that the train is booby-trapped."

Legend has it that a train set off from the western city of Wroclaw (then known as Breslau) during the final days of World War II before mysteriously disappearing around Walbrzych (Waldenburg at the time).

Zuchowski said there has been a marked increase in treasure-hunting in the Walbrzych area since the "discovery of the so-called gold train".

"I urge the public to stop searching for the train until official procedures to secure the find are completed."

Walbrzych officials have said the train was found on city land but are keeping its exact location under wraps -- ditto for the identities of the two men.

Their lawyer Jaroslaw Chmielewski said they provided local authorities with a description of the train carriage, which is allegedly armoured and 120-150 metres (400-500 feet) long.

He added that they expect a finder's fee of 10 percent of the value of whatever may be on the train but are skeptical it contains gold.

"These are serious people... What they presented during our talk makes me believe this business (of the train) is very credible," Chmielewski told the Polish news portal Onet.

"My clients are however skeptical as to whether it is really the famous (Nazi) train" packed with gold and other precious objects, he said.

"But we also can't completely exclude the possibility."

- Guns and precious metals -

Two men claim to have found an armoured train car in the southwestern city of Walbrzych  near the Ks...
Two men claim to have found an armoured train car in the southwestern city of Walbrzych, near the Ksiaz castle pictured here
Janek Skarzynski, AFP/File

Joanna Lamparska, who has written several books on the region's historical enigmas, has been closely following the news of the rumoured train.

She told AFP that the two men wrote in their statement to officials that the train was armoured, had been carrying self-propelled guns and contained "precious metals, valuable objects and industrial equipment".

Rumours of two special Nazi trains that disappeared in the spring of 1945 have been circulating for years, capturing the imagination of countless treasure-hunters.

The lore has its basis in the existence of secret underground passages near Walbrzych -- including around the massive Ksiaz Castle -- that Nazi Germany ordered built and where legend has it the Third Reich stashed valuables.

Nazi Germany had concentration camp inmates build the huge tunnels -- code-named Riese (Giant) -- to use as production spaces for strategic weapons, as the site was safe from Allied air raids.

Located in the passages were underground Nazi shelters as well as one of Adolf Hitler's headquarters.

Portions of the tunnels are now open to tourists while the Polish Academy of Sciences stores seismographs in the deepest section.

According to some reports there was also a two-kilometre (one-mile) underground sidetrack whose entryway was dismantled or blown up when Nazi Germany surrendered.

Though technically plausible, the sidetrack's existence has never been proven.

Lamparska is taking the rumoured train discovery with a pinch of salt, adding that it is not the first claim of its kind.

"There have been dozens of revelations of this sort over the years. This one just received more publicity," she told AFP.

"The Germans kept meticulous records of everything they did, including the crimes they committed. But we've found no mention of the train."

The manager of the Ksiaz castle, Krzysztof Urbanski, has also approached the issue with caution -- though he is happy to see the castle attract renewed interest.

"I really want it to be true," he told AFP of the discovery.

"But given what I know, I'm unable to either confirm or deny it."

The alleged discovery of a Nazi “gold train” in western Poland has perked up the ears of treasure-hunters to such a degree that the government felt the need Thursday to warn them it could be booby-trapped.

Local media have for days been abuzz with old lore of trains full of gold and jewels stolen by the German Nazis after two men — a German and a Pole — claimed to have found an armoured train car in the southwestern city of Walbrzych.

The train’s existence, let alone its contents if any, has not been confirmed but officials are taking the claim seriously.

“There may be hazardous substances dating from the Second World War in the hidden train, which I’m convinced exists,” culture ministry secretary of state Piotr Zuchowski said in a statement.

“There’s a huge probability that the train is booby-trapped.”

Legend has it that a train set off from the western city of Wroclaw (then known as Breslau) during the final days of World War II before mysteriously disappearing around Walbrzych (Waldenburg at the time).

Zuchowski said there has been a marked increase in treasure-hunting in the Walbrzych area since the “discovery of the so-called gold train”.

“I urge the public to stop searching for the train until official procedures to secure the find are completed.”

Walbrzych officials have said the train was found on city land but are keeping its exact location under wraps — ditto for the identities of the two men.

Their lawyer Jaroslaw Chmielewski said they provided local authorities with a description of the train carriage, which is allegedly armoured and 120-150 metres (400-500 feet) long.

He added that they expect a finder’s fee of 10 percent of the value of whatever may be on the train but are skeptical it contains gold.

“These are serious people… What they presented during our talk makes me believe this business (of the train) is very credible,” Chmielewski told the Polish news portal Onet.

“My clients are however skeptical as to whether it is really the famous (Nazi) train” packed with gold and other precious objects, he said.

“But we also can’t completely exclude the possibility.”

– Guns and precious metals –

Two men claim to have found an armoured train car in the southwestern city of Walbrzych  near the Ks...

Two men claim to have found an armoured train car in the southwestern city of Walbrzych, near the Ksiaz castle pictured here
Janek Skarzynski, AFP/File

Joanna Lamparska, who has written several books on the region’s historical enigmas, has been closely following the news of the rumoured train.

She told AFP that the two men wrote in their statement to officials that the train was armoured, had been carrying self-propelled guns and contained “precious metals, valuable objects and industrial equipment”.

Rumours of two special Nazi trains that disappeared in the spring of 1945 have been circulating for years, capturing the imagination of countless treasure-hunters.

The lore has its basis in the existence of secret underground passages near Walbrzych — including around the massive Ksiaz Castle — that Nazi Germany ordered built and where legend has it the Third Reich stashed valuables.

Nazi Germany had concentration camp inmates build the huge tunnels — code-named Riese (Giant) — to use as production spaces for strategic weapons, as the site was safe from Allied air raids.

Located in the passages were underground Nazi shelters as well as one of Adolf Hitler’s headquarters.

Portions of the tunnels are now open to tourists while the Polish Academy of Sciences stores seismographs in the deepest section.

According to some reports there was also a two-kilometre (one-mile) underground sidetrack whose entryway was dismantled or blown up when Nazi Germany surrendered.

Though technically plausible, the sidetrack’s existence has never been proven.

Lamparska is taking the rumoured train discovery with a pinch of salt, adding that it is not the first claim of its kind.

“There have been dozens of revelations of this sort over the years. This one just received more publicity,” she told AFP.

“The Germans kept meticulous records of everything they did, including the crimes they committed. But we’ve found no mention of the train.”

The manager of the Ksiaz castle, Krzysztof Urbanski, has also approached the issue with caution — though he is happy to see the castle attract renewed interest.

“I really want it to be true,” he told AFP of the discovery.

“But given what I know, I’m unable to either confirm or deny it.”

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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