An 18-year-old student on a summer construction job in Belgium discovered a hidden collection of gold valued at roughly €9 million while digging trenches for a sewage system, reports The Guardian. Belgian law prevents the finder from automatically owning buried treasure.
The student, referred to only as Kobe, was working with others at a former brewery site on Van Langenhovestraat in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, about 30 km northwest of Brussels, when the discovery occurred on Tuesday.
Kobe initially thought the items were ordinary coins, according to Belgian broadcaster VTM. The situation changed when a gold bar appeared, revealing the true value of the find.
The group had been performing standard excavation when they located the items, which included gold coins, nuggets and numbered bars. These had been placed in a bag and hidden inside a sealed part of a cellar wall under a large villa built in the late 19th century for brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche.
Kobe noted that the items seemed deliberately hidden, as they were bricked into the wall rather than stored in a safe. The brewery operated from 1899 until 1970. The heritage-listed building, now being renovated by social welfare group CAW Oost-Vlaanderen into offices and housing, retains its original wrought-iron gates marked with the initials “VA”.
CAW representative Geert Hillaert said the structure is being fully renovated, with only the walls remaining. Workers installing drainage pipes made the discovery.
Kobe and colleagues notified police and CAW. The gold was moved to a secure location in Brussels for investigation into its origins and legal ownership.
East Flanders public prosecutor Hanne Ollevier stated that officials will first check if the gold was stolen or linked to crime. Ownership claims may involve the construction firm, CAW Oost-Vlaanderen and possible heirs of the Van Assche family. Belgian law requires finders of buried treasure to wait at least five years for potential owners to come forward.
Former Dendermonde mayor Piet Buyse suggested the Van Assche family may have converted assets into gold and concealed it.
