In the Belgian municipality of Dendermonde (East Flanders province), a construction crew renovating an an old building stumbled upon an astonishing hidden stash. Inside a cellar wall, workers discovered sealed-off gold bars, coins, and nuggets, with an estimated total value of approximately 9 million euros.
Accidental Discovery
The treasure was found entirely by chance during routine work. Builders were drilling holes in the foundation to lay new sewage pipes when they breached a hidden cavity. The first to encounter the riches was 18-year-old student Kobe, who was working part-time at the site during his summer break.
According to the young man, his initial reaction was disbelief. “At first, I thought they were just regular 1-euro coins. But then we saw a gold nugget lying there. Only then did we realize we had found something much bigger,” he told local journalists. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the stash contained dozens of gold bars, entire buckets of coins, and at least one large nugget.
Workers' Honesty and Police Response
Instead of attempting to claim the discovery for themselves, the builders immediately contacted law enforcement, stating they had not even considered keeping the gold.
Police quickly arrived on the scene, cordoned off the area, and transported all valuables to a secure location. Authorities also urgently requested local residents not to approach the house in search of “leftover treasure,” noting that the building had already been thoroughly searched and turned inside out.
Who Will Get the Gold?
The main question now is who will become the legal owner of the multi-million-euro find. The building where the treasure was hidden is currently owned by the local charitable organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, which provides social assistance to the public.
Under Belgian law, the original owner (or their heirs) has five years to claim rights to the hidden stash. The prosecutor's office has already launched an investigation to determine the gold's origin and ensure it is not linked to criminal activity or robberies.
If no legal owner comes forward within five years and the treasure's past is not confirmed to be criminal, civil law regarding found treasures will apply. In this scenario, the treasure will be divided equally between those who found it (the construction crew) and the current property owner (the charitable foundation).
