Explorer who searched for Hitler's gold train believes Polish lake contains Nazi loot

An explorer who spent years hunting for a Nazi gold train laden with looted art says he now thinks a lake could be hiding a convoy of Nazi trucks full of treasure.

Piotr Koper from Walbrzych in southwest Poland said he had recently carried out a preliminary search of the lake 90 miles away using geo-radar and found ‘steel’ which could belong to the trucks.

According to historians, in the spring of 1945 a convoy of trucks set off from the nearby city of Goerlitz with exhibits from a museum.

Koper told local media: ‘The research was completed on Sunday.

‘We have decent results and we will now try to mine as we have seen a very strong signal of steel.

Piotr Koper said he had recently carried out a preliminary search of the lake 90 miles away from Walbrzych in southwest Poland using geo-radar and found 'steel' which could belong to the trucks

Piotr Koper said he had recently carried out a preliminary search of the lake 90 miles away from Walbrzych in southwest Poland using geo-radar and found ‘steel’ which could belong to the trucks

The lake is located in the Polish village of Żarska Wieś, close to the German border

The lake is located in the Polish village of Żarska Wieś, close to the German border

The explorer and his team have been searching the area in the village of Żarska Wieś since December using bottom sonar, GPR, proton magnetometer and an underwater drone

The explorer and his team have been searching the area in the village of Żarska Wieś since December using bottom sonar, GPR, proton magnetometer and an underwater drone

‘I expect these could be trucks that were sunk in 1945.

‘Today it’s hard to say what their value is, because it depends on whether the wrecks are full or empty.’

The explorer and his team have been searching the area in the village of Żarska Wieś since December using bottom sonar, GPR, proton magnetometer and an underwater drone.

Koper said: ‘In March 1945, trucks with some exhibits left the museum in Goerlitz.

‘We know from witnesses that they arrived here, on the ice-bound reservoir.

‘They stayed here.’

Recently, a diving Guinness Record holder went into the lake to video what he could find.

Marcel Korkus said: ‘I can confirm the existence of a lime kiln in the northwestern part of the body of water.’

Diver Marcel Korkus said: ‘I can confirm the existence of a lime kiln in the northwestern part of the body of water,' but could not say that there were trucks in the lake

Diver Marcel Korkus said: ‘I can confirm the existence of a lime kiln in the northwestern part of the body of water,’ but could not say that there were trucks in the lake

Koper told local media: 'The research was completed on Sunday. We have decent results and we will now try to mine as we have seen a very strong signal of steel.'

Koper told local media: ‘The research was completed on Sunday. We have decent results and we will now try to mine as we have seen a very strong signal of steel.’

He added that in addition to the remains of the mine’s walls there were also old tires and a small case.

But he continued: ‘I do not confirm the stories about trucks and I believe that it is unlikely that they are lying under a large layer of sediment.’

Koper said he hadn’t given up hope and will now be looking to start diving.

He said: ‘We are now waiting for a GPR analysis. If the results are confirmed, we will apply for permission to extract them.’

The discovery comes just weeks after treasure hunters discovered a secret network of WWII tunnels thought to lead to the long-lost ‘Amber Room’.

The Amber Room was built for Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the 1700s and packed with amber, gold and precious jewels, but was stolen by the Nazis and mysteriously disappeared at the end of the Second World War.   

The tunnels were discovered at the Mamerki museum bunker complex in northeastern Poland close to Kaliningrad, the last known location of the treasure.

A secret network of WWII tunnels thought to contain the long-lost Amber Room or other wartime treasures was recently discovered at the site of Nazi Germany’s former eastern army HQ

A secret network of WWII tunnels thought to contain the long-lost Amber Room or other wartime treasures was recently discovered at the site of Nazi Germany’s former eastern army HQ

A reconstruction of the Amber Room was made in 1979 and completed at the Catherine Palace in St Petersburg (pictured)

A reconstruction of the Amber Room was made in 1979 and completed at the Catherine Palace in St Petersburg (pictured)

Lake Toplitz in Austria as another lake which has an enduring allure for bounty hunters and is believed to contain up to £3 billion in lost Nazi gold which was dumped into the water by the S.S as the war came to a close. 

In the 1940s, the Nazis used the lake as a naval testing site and the mountains surrounding it as a retreat area for military officers. 

Situated in a dense mountain forest high up in the Austrian Alps, Toplitz has seen its fair share of death over the years – several people have died trying to find the legendary treasure.

Though treasure has not yet been found at Toplitz, investigators have recovered £700 million of counterfeit notes that were believed to be part of a Hitler ploy to cripple the British economy.  

Towards the end of the war, Nazi forces dumped ancient artefacts, museum exhibits, loot and treasures at various locations throughout Europe, the hunt for which still continues today

Towards the end of the war, Nazi forces dumped ancient artefacts, museum exhibits, loot and treasures at various locations throughout Europe, the hunt for which still continues today

 

 

source: dailymail.co.uk