Construction workers renovating the cellar of a brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium, have discovered a hidden chest containing gold bars and nuggets valued at 8.8 million euros.
The treasure was uncovered on Tuesday morning in the town, located approximately 40 minutes by car from Brussels, according to a report by the Daily Mail. Kobe, an 18-year-old student, was laying sewer pipes in the basement alongside a colleague when the pair spotted the stash concealed inside a wall.
Kobe initially mistook the coins found within the masonry for common euro pocket change. However, as the workers examined the site more closely, they identified gold bullion bars and raw nuggets alongside the coins.
The workmen immediately notified their client, the charitable organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, and summoned local law enforcement to the scene. Police officers subsequently removed the entire hoard and transferred it to a secure Belgian government vault.
Police investigation and legal ownership
Law enforcement authorities are investigating the origin of the fortune to determine how it was concealed within the brewery. Officials noted that many of the gold bars bear official stamps dated 1957 and 1961.
Patrick Feys, the chief of the local police force in Dendermonde, appealed to local residents to stay away from the construction site. Feys assured the public that all of the precious metals had already been cleared from the property.
Geert Hillaert, a spokesperson for CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, explained that searching for the legitimate owners of the gold could take several years. Hillaert noted that it remains uncertain whether any portion of the treasure will ultimately be awarded to the construction firm or to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a non-profit organisation that provides community welfare services across East Flanders.
Similar discovery in Dorset
The Belgian discovery follows a similar historic find in the United Kingdom, where a couple accidentally uncovered a 17th-century coin hoard while carrying out home improvements on a farm in West Dorset.
In that British case, the husband and wife were deepening the kitchen floor of their cottage when they unearthed around 100 coins dating from the First English Civil War, the conflict fought between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the 1640s.
