Polish military at work on alleged site of 'Nazi gold train'

Governor of the Lower Silesia province Tomasz Smolarz told journalists on Monday afternoon that the site in question is being checked by chemical, radiation and explosives experts.

“The study aims to confirm that there are no materials there to a depth of one metre that are hazardous for the residents of Wałbrzych and visitors,” Smolarz said.

Members of the 1st Regiment of Sappers in Brzeg are among those taking part in the initial operation, which is due to be completed on Saturday.

“Later, the army will present a report that will serve to assess the situation and the actual threat to the area,” Smolarz added.

Colonel Arur Talik revealed that the military is set to carry out several further surveys by the end of the year.

A Polish and a German man submitted a claim in August with Wałbrzych authorities in relation to the supposed train. They said they had located it using ground penetrating radar (GPR).

Rumours about hidden treasures have lingered in Lower Silesia since the end of World War II.

In 1943, the Nazi regime launched Project Riese in Lower Silesia, constructing a large network of underground chambers. Some of these are already accessible to the public, under the auspices of local museums.

The site where the train was allegedly hidden 70 years ago lies on the rail route between Wrocław and Walbrzych, both of which belonged to Germany 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)

Source: IAR