The Truth about a Nazi Train Laden with 300 Tons of Gold, Gems and Weapons

Last August, two treasure hunters – Andreas Richter of Germany and Piotr Koper of Poland – claimed to have discovered the legendary Nazi “gold train.” The train was said to be loaded with 300 tons of gold, jewels, weapons and masterpieces, close to the town of Walbrzych, Poland. According to local folklore, the 150-meter long mystical treasure train was hidden in a sealed tunnel located close to Ksiaz castle – which served as Nazi headquarters during World War II – by Nazi forces retreating from the advance of the Soviet Red Army in 1945.

The ‘discovery’ gained traction in September, when Poland’s National Heritage and Conservation Officer Piotr Zuchowski told the media that images from ground penetrating radar at a site. The site was discovered along a railway embankment between the cities of Wroclaw and Walbrzych, and made Zuchowski “99% convinced” that the train exists. Zuchowski also revealed that the train was about 100 meters long hidden along a 4-km stretch of track on the Wroclaw-Walbrzych line. He added that the person who claimed he helped load the gold train in 1945 said in a ‘deathbed statement’ the train is secured with explosives.

“Information about where this train is and what its contents are were revealed on the deathbed of a person who had knowledge of the secret of this train. Polish authorities have now seen evidence of the train’s existence in an image taken using ground-penetrating radar. The image – albeit blurred – shows the shape of a train platform and cannons. [Though] the find was unprecedented, we do not know what is inside the train; probably military equipment but also possibly jewelry, works of art and archive documents. Armored trains from this period were used to carry extremely valuable items and this is an armored train, it is a big clue. We are now 99% sure the train exists and whatever is on it will be returned to the rightful owners, if they can be found. We will be 100% sure only when we find the train.”

News of the discovery created such a flurry of interest that Walbrzych regional authorities, as well as treasure hunters and the media descended upon Walbrzych. Geologists and engineers from Krakow’s University of Science and Technology began surveying the location with magnetic field detectors, thermal imaging cameras and radar. The Polish government warned enthusiastic people to stop looking for the train, only because it could be mined and dangerous.

After months of searching, the research team from Krakow’s University of Science and Technology announced in December that they found a tunnel. But rumors of a Nazi gold train are just that – they did not find any evidence of the treasure train buried in a secret tunnel, as claimed by the two treasure hunters.

“There may be a tunnel, but there is no train. The geo-magnetic model anomalies would be far greater if there was a train. The results of our research can be considered reliable,” Professor Janusz Madej from Krakow’s University of Science and Technology told a press conference.

Nonetheless, the two treasure hunters remained adamant, telling reporters at the same press conference that a railway tunnel and the “ghost train” did exist at the examined site. Questioning the team’s methodology, Koper presented research results conducted by his own set of experts. To support his claim, he produced images of round, oval and rectangular shapes found by ground penetrating, thermal and magnetic sensors. He said there was clear evidence of a tunnel up to 19 feet wide and 29 feet high, and of the possible existence of a train.

“We believe there is a train. The readings [by the scientists] are different because the methodological approach was not the same as ours…We carried out similar examinations in many other locations, but we have never encountered anything like this. There is no way these shapes are of natural origin. It’s human to make a mistake, but it’s foolish to stand by it.”

What happens next?

Koper believes the only way to find out once and for all if the train exists, is to dig. “We discovered a tunnel. You can see clearly the entrance to a tunnel… I am convinced we are going to prove its [train’s] existence. We need a bit more time, we need to excavate,” he insists, adding that he and Richter were prepared to foot the bill themselves.

But this appears unlikely, as excavating the site could involve disruption to an important railway link to Walbrzych. The local authorities in Walbrzych now have to decide whether an expensive and complicated operation of digging and drilling to introduce cameras into the ground is worth it. “We need to think about we should do now,” Arkadiusz Grudzien, a spokesman for the city president told The New York Times.

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