Polish Soldiers Mount Hunt for Lost Nazi Treasure Train
Image by Getty Images
Polish military personnel on Friday began inspecting and photographing the site where authorities suspect a Nazi-era train, possibly carrying guns and looted jewels, may be buried.
Soldiers in uniforms identifying them as members of a de-mining unit walked around the area, talked to local officials and took pictures, a Reuters photographer said. There was no sign they had started digging.
Authorities of Poland’s Lower Silesia region said at a conference on Friday that the effects of Friday’s reconnaissance will be presented to the general command of the armed forces, which will within two weeks take a decision regarding further potential action.
According to local folklore, the train entered a tunnel in 1945 and never emerged.
Last week, a deputy culture minister said he was almost certain the so-called “gold train” had been located, but his ministry backtracked, saying it had no knowledge on the issue.
Two amateur treasure hunters, a German and a Pole, said in August they had found the train, and said it should be exhumed and displayed as a tourist attraction.
The World Jewish Congress said that any valuables that had been stolen from Jews murdered by the Nazis must be returned to their rightful owners.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
