Rain puts damper on hunt for ‘Nazi treasure train’

WALBRZYCH: Heavy rain yesterday put a damper on moves by experts to begin inspecting the alleged site in Poland of a fabled Nazi train that could contain looted treasure. “We need three days without rain with temperatures above 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit)” to begin exploration, said Arkadiusz Grudzien, press officer for the southwestern city of Walbrzych which has authority over the site. “At this point, we have to check whether the train is really there. It’s much too early to speak about excavating it,” he added.

Treasure hunters Piotr Koper of Poland and Andreas Richter, a German, announced in August they had discovered a 98-metre-long train carriage buried eight to nine metres underground in a railway tunnel.

The two stuck by their words Monday, saying they were “convinced” the train exists. “We have what it takes to excavate it-we have specialists who are working with us,” Koper told reporters gathered at the site, adding that up to now he had shared all exploration costs with Richter. Rumors of two Nazi trains that disappeared at the end of World War II have been circulating for years, capturing the imagination of treasure-hunters.

The lore is fuelled by a massive network of secret underground tunnels near Walbrzych-including around the massive Ksiaz Castle-that Nazi Germany built and where legend has it the Third Reich stashed looted valuables. Weather permitting, by next week another group of independent experts will join the operation at the site. “We aren’t competing,” said Koper.

“I believe their results will be similar to ours.” Koper and Richter believe the alleged contents of the train are mostly weapons prototypes, though according to local legend they could also include artwork and Nazi documents.

Walbrzych spokesman Grudzien insisted all the exploration would have to be “non-invasive”, meaning no digging or drilling. “Experts can use various instruments and detectors, but they’re not allowed to remove any soil,” according to Grudzien.

An army unit including a bomb squad completed tests at the site last month and declared it free of hazardous material. Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Zuchowski said in August he was “more than 99 percent sure” the train exists after seeing ground-penetrating radar images. Officials have since cast doubt on this, saying there was no credible evidence of it, but have not given up their bid to verify the claim.