Dutch village calls off hunt for Nazi loot

A Dutch village which became a frenzy of treasure hunters after a map allegedly showed Nazi loot buried there during World War II said Tuesday the search was over and nothing was found.

The small hamlet of Ommeren in central Netherlands did conclude that there had indeed been treasure buried there, but that it was removed after the war.

Nazi loot

Ommeren became a hive of activity after the Dutch National Archive in January unveiled a hand-drawn map featuring a tell-tale red “X” believed to mark the spot where German soldiers stashed their hoard, triggering an invasion of gold-diggers trying their luck.

“We have concluded that there is no Nazi treasure in Ommeren,” said Birgit van Aken-Quint, spokeswoman for the nearby Buren municipality.

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“We do assume that the treasure was once buried in Ommeren, but that it has been removed at some stage,” Van Aken-Quint told AFP in an email.

Documents held along with the map include testimony that the Nazis buried four ammunition boxes filled with jewellery, precious stones and gold coins, believed to be worth 11 million euros ($11.9 million) at current value.

‘Market Garden’

The Nazis allegedly looted the treasure after the bombing of a bank in Arnhem in 1944 and were then believed to have buried it after the Allied “Market Garden” offensive near the town.

Ommeren already put in place a ban on the use of metal detectors in October last year, months before the map was revealed by the National Archives.

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Yet, it did not deter aspirant treasure hunters.

“We’ve warned off at least 15 people since the start of January who were using metal detectors,” Van Aken-Quint said.

Archaeologists tried one last time on Monday on two possible spots but only discovered an old bullet, the rim of a car wheel and an old fruit tree, she said.

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“These have been handed over to the municipality,” she said.

A ban on metal detectors remained in place in Ommeren, Van Aken-Quint said.

“If people again try to go and find the treasure, we’ll enforce the ban,” she said.