An ancient map, a modern treasure hunt, a current mystery

X marks the spot! At least it does in all the good swashbuckling pirate stories and high-action comics. It also does on a real-life treasure map unearthed in the Netherlands last year.

High Action!

Back in 1944, during World War II, the Allies (the good guys) tried to cross from the Netherlands into Germany. During the attempt, they bombed a Dutch bank. The bank’s safe blew open, scattering diamonds and other gems, as well as watches, jewelry, and gold coins on the street. (Talk about high action!)

Four German soldiers who witnessed the golden “windfall” ran around gathering whatever they could. As the Allies neared the city some months later, the Germans feared for their loot. They decided to bury it and come back to retrieve it after the war.

They filled four zinc ammo boxes (each about the size of a shoebox) with valuables and hid them beneath the roots of a poplar tree on one of Ommeren’s country roads. One of the men drew a map to their loot and marked the spot with an X.

The German soldiers were forced to retreat with the rest of the German Army. They’d hidden their booty just in time. It remained behind… but not forgotten.

An Unlikely Discovery

Welcome to the picturesque Dutch village of Ommeren, population 700, located to the south of Amsterdam. If you had visited just over a year ago, in January 2023, you’d have discovered lots of freshly dug holes and seen people wielding metal detectors.

Just over a year ago, the Dutch National Archives released a bunch of documents that had previously been classified. (Classified means they contain information that had to be kept safe and/or secret.) Among these newly released docs was a map — not just any map, but a treasure map!

The map (hand-drawn, of course) was said to lead to loot that German soldiers hid at the end of World War II. And the spot where they buried the treasure was marked with an X. (In red ink, no less!)