A Mysterious Treasure
Hikers discovered a box containing coins and other items.
© CTK/Alamy
Hikers discovered coins and other items in the Czech Republic. No one is sure who hid this treasure.
When a pair of hikers discovered a box of treasures in the Czech Republic, they had no idea what its origins might be. But even experts have yet to unravel the mysteries tied to the treasure. They wonder who buried the box and why.
The metal box, which was embedded in a stone wall, contained 10 gold bracelets, a comb, and other items. The most eye-popping part of the treasure was 598 gold coins estimated to be worth about $340,000. The hikers immediately took the box to the nearby Museum of Eastern Bohemia in the town of Hradec Králové.
When museum experts looked for clues to the origin of the treasure, they noted that the newest coin was dated 1921. This indicated that the box could not have been buried more than 104 years ago. Experts also noticed that none of the coins were local. Some were from France, while others were from the Balkan region of Europe, which is south of the Czech Republic.
Experts believe that the treasure was buried during one of many periods of unrest in Europe. During the 20th century, the continent saw two world wars, as well as other conflicts. Both world wars involved several countries and forced many people to leave their homes. It’s possible that a wealthy family hid their valuables while fleeing to safety. Another theory is that soldiers looted (stole) the items from one or more abandoned homes.
© CTK/Alamy
This gold bracelet was among the items two hikers discovered in the Czech Republic.
Miroslav Novak, the head of the museum’s archaeology department, says he believes the box was hidden sometime before or after World War II, which took place between 1939 and 1945.
“It is most likely related to the turbulent period before the start of World War II, when the Czech and Jewish population was leaving the…area, or to 1945, when the Germans were leaving,” Novak told CNN.
Other experts think the coins were hidden earlier than that. Mary Heimann, a professor of history at the University of Cardiff in the United Kingdom, says the fact that the newest coin is from 1921 is important. That year, the country of Czechoslovakia (which later broke into two nations—the Czech Republic and Slovakia) was experiencing financial problems. When times are hard, people often safeguard their wealth.
“It’s not that surprising somebody would think of burying a stash of gold at that time,” Heimann told CNN.
