Workers in Belgium find gold treasure worth €9 million hidden in basement walls

Builders renovating a house in the East Flanders province of Belgium stumbled upon a hoard of gold coins and bars hidden inside the basement walls. Experts estimate the find is worth around nine million euros — roughly 220 million crowns. The British broadcaster BBC reported the story, citing Belgian media.

The treasure was discovered while drilling through the foundation to lay a new sewage pipe. Among the construction crew was an 18-year-old student named Kobe, who was working on the site over the summer. "Our first reaction was disbelief and astonishment," he told the Belgian public broadcaster VRT.

He said that at first he mistook the find for ordinary one-euro coins. But when a piece of gold appeared among them, the workers realized they had stumbled upon something far more valuable.

Police take charge of the case

The find was reported to police, who removed the gold to a secure location and launched an investigation into its origins. At the same time, authorities urged residents not to visit the construction site looking for additional treasure — according to police, the house has already been thoroughly searched.

The building belongs to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, an organisation that provides social services in the city of Dendermonde. Its director, Gert Hillaert, expressed hope that the recovered valuables could eventually help fund the organisation's work.

Who will get to keep the gold

It remains unclear who will become the rightful owner of the treasure. Under Belgian law, the true owner has five years to come forward and claim the find. The local prosecutor's office is also involved in the case, working to determine the treasure's origins.

If no owner is ever found, civil law allows the gold to be split between the workers who discovered it and the property's owner. There is, however, one condition: the investigation must not uncover any link between the treasure and criminal activity.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz