Two tourists hiking in the Czech Republic stumbled upon a buried treasure trove full of gold coins and bracelets worth $341,000 ( ₹2.8 crore). They found the treasure hidden inside two containers in a wall in a field in February, according to a Facebook post from the Museum of East Bohemia.
When they opened the boxes, they found gold coins, bracelets, and cigarette cases weighing a total of 6.8 kg.
The museum, which received over the treasure, said that the hikers stumbled upon the treasure when they saw a can sticking out of a crack and decided to investigate the wall. Inside, they found a container with 598 gold coins “divided into 11 columns and wrapped in black fabric.”
Another box stored 3 feet away held the bracelets and other objects.
Gold likely buried during war
Miroslav Novak, Head of the Archaeological Department at the museum, said that while burying valuables has been a common practice since prehistoric times, it’s rare to uncover such a large stash of precious metals from a relatively recent era, according to the museum’s Facebook post.
The majority of the coins date from 1808 to 1915, with some minted in the 1920s and 1930s. This timeline helped experts narrow down when the treasure was likely hidden. The coins came from several regions including France, Austria-Hungary, Belgium and the Ottoman Empire.
{{/usCountry}}The majority of the coins date from 1808 to 1915, with some minted in the 1920s and 1930s. This timeline helped experts narrow down when the treasure was likely hidden. The coins came from several regions including France, Austria-Hungary, Belgium and the Ottoman Empire.
{{/usCountry}}Although the identity of the person who hid the treasure remains a mystery, Novak believes it was likely concealed during a time of upheaval likely during World War II, given the historical context.
“The list of potential reasons for which it was likely buried is fairly clear. It was the beginning of the war, the deportation of the Czech and Jewish populations, then the deportation of the Germans after the war — so there are several possibilities. There was also a monetary reform, which could have also been a reason," he added.