‘Military train’ found . . . but no Nazi gold

THE hunt for a legendary Nazi gold train in Poland took a new twist last night after a regional mayor’s office in southern Poland confirmed that a train of a “military nature” had been found.

Zygmunt Nowaczyk, the deputy mayor of Walbrzych, said at a press conference that “the discovery was in the town’s district” and the Polish state treasure and culture ministry had been informed in case the find contained anything of value.

Last week, two unidentified men filed a claim with Walbrzych’s mayoral office, stating they had found a 500ftlong armoured train somewhere in the hills and mountains surrounding the town.

The claim triggered a flurry of speculation that the two may have found a Nazi ghost train, which, according to myth and legend, disappeared into the same hills in April 1945 carrying tons of gold and other precious items.

The two finders declined to appear at the press conference, choosing to keep their identity and where the train might be a secret.

“The letter does not give the exact location but there is no doubt the location is within the limits of our district,” said Arkadiusz Grudzien, a spokesman for Walbrzych council’s legal office. “The train is of a military nature. There is no mention of valuables: just military equipment.”

Jaroslaw Chmielewski, a lawyer for the two men, said his clients would cooperate with the authorities and that they also expected a 10 per cent finder’s fee of the value of any find.