'Finders' of 'Nazi gold train' come forward
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
04.09.2015 11:16
The two men who filed the initial claim regarding the discovery of a supposed treasure-laden Nazi train near Wałbrzych, south west Poland, have revealed their identities, saying that they have been cold-shouldered by local authorities.
One of the underground chambers constructed in the vicinity of Wałbrzych during World War II by the Nazi German regime. Photo: wikimedia commons/Chmee 2
Pole Piotr Koper and German Andreas Richter called for a ten percent share in the value of the find when they submitted their claim in mid-August.
However, in an interview published on Friday in the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper, they said that they want to use any of their potential material gains to fund a local museum where the train could be displayed.
Such a museum could provide a major boost to the tourist industry in the area, they have argued.
“As of 18 August 2015 (the date of the submission to the mayor of the city of Wałbrzych) neither of us has been contacted on the matter, either by the Office of the Governor of Lower Silesia or by the mayor of the city of Walbrzych,” claimed Koper, a history enthusiast who runs a construction company in the city.
Nevertheless, in spite of this claim, lawyers representing the pair appear to be in regular contact with local authorities. A joint press conference was held on 26 August, with lawyers present.
Although Poland's defence minister Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed on Thursday that a military reconnaissance team will survey the now sealed off site, there are many sceptical voices regarding the existence of the train, among them Minister of Culture Małgorzata Omilanowska.
The site where the train was supposedly hidden 70 years ago lies on the rail route between Wrocław and Walbrzych, both of which were part of German territory prior to and during WWII, named Breslau and Waldenburg respectively.
As Germans fled the advancing Red Army at the end of the war, innumerable valuables – many of them looted - were shifted from across Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe.
The Soviets took Waldenburg (Wałbrzych) on 8 May 1945. Poland's borders were moved west - as finalised two months later at the Potsdam Conference - and the city became Polish. (nh/rk)