Expert discovers hidden Nazi treasure cache in Germany
- Buckhart List believes he has discovered a hidden cache of Nazi treasures in Germany, including artworks and valuables from a Hungarian Jewish collector.
- His search, which has been ongoing for over a decade, has run into bureaucratic hurdles due to local archaeological regulations.
- List remains determined to uncover these treasures, emphasizing its historical significance over personal gain.
In a significant development in Germany, expert Buckhart List, aged 75 from Austria, has been pursuing a potentially groundbreaking discovery beneath a forest clearing near Deutschkatharinenberg. The area is believed to harbor a cache of valuable artworks, gold, and jewelry belonging to a Hungarian Jewish art collector, Baron Ferenc Hatvany, looted by the SS during World War II. This treasure, estimated to be worth billions, remains elusive as List encounters obstacles from local authorities who have prohibited further excavation. Following the discovery of a Stone Age tool in the vicinity, the Saxony authorities declared the area off-limits for archaeological digs, stalling List’s decade-long search involving sophisticated geophysical surveys and neutron generator scans. Over the course of his expedition, List has uncovered evidence suggesting that the treasures were stored in man-made chambers up to 180 feet underground. Despite the challenges, he remains committed to uncovering the hidden treasure, motivated not by personal gain but by the historical significance of the lost masterpieces. In the past, various attempts to search for other Nazi treasures like the Amber Room have also faced similar rejections from the state archaeological offices, highlighting ongoing bureaucratic hurdles in the quest for restitution of stolen art from the war. The ambition of the expedition reflects not only the thirst for lost treasures but also the complex historical narrative of art theft during one of history's darkest periods.