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Part of the alleged SS officer’s diary (WhatsNews2Day) and representation of Nazi gold. (YouTube Screenshot)

SS Diary Could Reveal the Location of Tons of Nazi Gold in Poland

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A diary that was allegedly written by an SS officer in the dying days of WWII may lead to the discovery of a treasure of Nazi gold that is worth over one billion dollars. The document purports to show where the Nazis deposited tons of gold in Silesia in Poland as the Soviets advanced in 1945. Furthermore, it may reveal many more locations where Nazi gold and looted treasures could be found.

The diary with details on the treasure has been in the possession of the German Masonic Lodge known as the Quedlinburg, which dates back to the Medieval period. Many of its members are the children and grandchildren of old aristocratic families who had ties with the Nazis, indeed one of its former members was SS General Hans Kammer, who helped to design the concentration camps. The Lodge gave the diary to a Polish organization known as the Silesian Bridge to atone for its past members' crimes. Roman Furmaniak, head of the Polish foundation, is quoted by First News as stating that they donated the documents so they “would be free of the baggage of Nazism.”

The diary gives details of 11 locations across Lower Silesia and Opole where valuables including gold, religious artifacts, and bank deposits, as well as art from Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, and Russia are said to be located. (Śląski Pomost Quedlinburg)

The diary gives details of 11 locations across Lower Silesia and Opole where valuables including gold, religious artifacts, and bank deposits, as well as art from Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, and Russia are said to be located. (Śląski Pomost Quedlinburg)

The Diary Reveals SS Operations

This diary was written under a pseudonym, but it is believed that it was written by SS officer Egon Ollenhauer. He was a member of the Lodge and this is how they came into possession of the document.

The entries show that while he was in Silesia in South West Poland the SS officer was charged with collecting gold from the Reichsbank in Breslau, now Wroclaw, and valuables from wealthy German aristocrats and hiding them from the advancing Red Army. In 1945 many Nazis were hiding valuables that had been looted in occupied Europe and also ‘dirty gold which came from the teeth harvested from the jaws of millions gassed in German death camps,’ reports First News.

The diary details how the SS man collaborated with Dr. Gunther Grundmann, who had been ordered by Himmler to catalogue and hide German artwork at risk from allied bombing and the advancing Soviet army. The SS officer gave details of how he worked with Grundmann to hide the Nazi treasure. It was hidden in a 16th-century palace owned by the aristocratic Hochberg family, who had been major landowners in Silesia since the Middle Ages. The palace is near the town of Roztoka, not far from the border with Czechia.

Hochberg Palace in Roztoka, Poland. (TemAonline)

Hochberg Palace in Roztoka, Poland. (TemAonline)

The Gruesome Story of Corpses in a Well

In the diary, there is a description of how they hid the treasure in a deep well in the grounds of the palace. It was delivered to the location in trucks that had come under fire presumably from the Red Army. The officer wrote that “The following was placed at the bottom in crates: jewelry, coins and ingots,” according to The Daily Mail.

To hide the gold and other valuables from the Soviets, the well was sealed by an explosion. Ollenhauer writes that “After we finished everything, the well was blown up, filled in and covered.” According to some sources, along with the Nazi gold there are the corpses ‘of several eyewitnesses who heard or observed the operation to destroy the well shaft’ and who had been killed by the SS.

It appears that the Germans left in a hurry and that in the chaos of war the treasure was forgotten about. The Lodge only released the document when those who had a connection to the events had died. In total it is believed that 28 tons of Nazi gold hidden away would be worth up to 1.5 billion dollars today.

Nazi Gold in the Well

Based on the diary and some other documents donated by the Lodge, including a map, Mr. Furmaniak believes that he knows where the well is located that was sealed by the Germans in 1945. He is quoted by Sputnik News as stating that “Based on instructions I received from the Quedlinburgers [Freemasons], I believe I have located the well in the grounds of the palace.” He claims that the diary has been authenticated by several German experts.

The Silesian Bridge Foundation claims to have received the diary (left and right) from a Masonic lodge in Germany that it kept for decades after the end of the war. (WhatsNews2Day)

The Silesian Bridge Foundation claims to have received the diary (left and right) from a Masonic lodge in Germany that it kept for decades after the end of the war. (WhatsNews2Day)

Furmaniak has alerted the Polish authorities about the Nazi gold and other valuables. However, they have not confirmed the authenticity of the diary or its claims. The First News reports that ‘A guarded comment by Magdalena Tomaszewska from the Information Centre of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage only went as far as saying that the ministry could not yet confirm the diary’s authenticity’. The Polish authorities are reluctant to fund the project and have shown little interest in the alleged treasure in Hochberg Palace.

11 More Treasures Revealed?

The Daily Mail states that Mr. Furmaniak ‘is going public with the findings in an attempt to pressure the government into investigating.’ However, the present owners of the Hochberg Palace, who only bought it in 2017, appear to believe the remarkable story. They are in the process of rebuilding the nearly ruined building and they have erected fences around the site to keep treasure hunters away.

Mr. Furmaniak believes that the “treasure at Hochberg Palace is one of 11 that are hidden across southern Poland, parts of the Czech Republic and eastern Germany,” according to The Daily Mail. These include a collection of paintings by masters such as Rubens that were stolen from mainly Jewish collectors in France.

Representation of Nazi gold. (Pixabay)

Representation of Nazi gold. (Pixabay)

It is believed that some of the sites many hold priceless works of religious art from around the world that were collected by the SS in their efforts to prove their racist theories. The head of the Silesian Bridge and the Lodge are both determined to ensure that the treasures are reunited with the heirs of the original owners.

Top image: Part of the alleged SS officer’s diary (WhatsNews2Day) and representation of Nazi gold. (YouTube Screenshot)

By Ed Whelan

 

Comments

$1.5 billion at the bottom of a well but no one bothered to look for it? Now 80 yrs later, they publish this telling you where it is? This might be the most unbelievable thing yet!

Gary Moran's picture

Surprising to me that the Polish government is not interested in investigating. If it is there, probably nigh impossible to determine the original owners.

Literally zero chance the treasure is still there after 80 years and a lodge had the location that long.

Ed Whelan's picture

Ed

My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. At present I am a... Read More

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