Gold Treasure Worth €9 Million Found by Student Worker in Belgium
An 18-year-old student worker and his colleagues have uncovered a gold treasure estimated to be worth approximately 9 million euros during renovation work in Dendermonde, Belgium. The hoard, consisting of numbered gold bars, gold nuggets, and thousands of old gold coins, was discovered hidden inside a wall of a building owned by welfare organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, according to VRT NWS.
The Discovery
What began as an ordinary workday turned into an extraordinary find for 18-year-old Kobe and his colleagues from construction firm De Brand. On Tuesday morning, the crew was laying sewer pipes at a building on Van Langenhovestraat in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde when they had to remove part of a foundation - and stumbled upon something unexpected.
“I first thought they were 1-euro coins,” Kobe told VRT NWS. “But then we also saw a gold nugget lying there. Then we knew it was something bigger.”
The workers initially reported finding a chest, but the site manager later clarified that the gold was actually wrapped in a plastic bag hidden inside a wall. The treasure includes at least 4,000 coins and more than 40 gold bars, as NOS reported.
Site manager Mario, who has spent 33 years in construction, described the moment: “They shouted: ‘We found gold!’ I went to look and took the gold in my hands. We kept digging up new coins and bars. Only then did it really sink in what we had found. That was a crazy feeling.”
Honesty Over Temptation
The workers briefly considered keeping the treasure for themselves, Kobe admitted. “Of course we briefly considered keeping it ourselves. But it’s just too much money. If it were a few thousand euros, it would still be feasible. But 9 million euros, you just can’t keep that hidden.”
Instead, the crew immediately notified their boss, who instructed them to contact the building owner and the police. The local police of Dendermonde collected and inventoried the gold, storing it in a high-security vault of the federal government services, as police chief Patrick Feys confirmed.
Kobe hopes the honesty pays off: “We naturally hope we’ll get a ‘finder’s fee.’ That would be nice.”
A Family Mystery Unfolds
The discovery has sparked intense public interest, with dozens of curious visitors and would-be treasure hunters descending on the construction site. Police have urged people to stay away. “Gold seekers, stay away,” Feys warned. “After the treasure was found, the entire site was turned inside out. We’re sure there’s nothing more to find.”
The building itself has a remarkable history. Historian and former mayor Piet Buyse believes the treasure likely belonged to the Van Assche family, wealthy brewers who built the mansion in 1899. The family’s three children never married, meaning their substantial fortune was never passed down. After the last family member died in 1982, the building was donated to the abbey of Dendermonde with the condition it be used for a good cause - which eventually led to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen taking ownership, as Buyse explained to VRT NWS.
“When it was donated to the fathers, that treasure was apparently donated along with it, without anyone knowing,” Buyse said. He suggests the gold dates from after World War II, when the family may have converted their wealth into gold as a safe haven - a common practice following the 1929 stock market crash.
Legal Framework and Ownership Questions
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of East Flanders is now investigating the origin of the gold and whether there are criminal aspects to the case. “At this moment it is not known where that gold comes from and legally to whom that gold belongs,” said spokesperson Hanne Ollevier.
Under Belgian law, the rules of the Civil Code on ‘found physical objects’ apply to treasure discoveries. According to FOD Justitie representative Sharon Beavis, the finder must first try to locate the original owner. If that fails, the find must be reported to the municipality within 7 days. The original owner then has 5 years to claim the treasure.
For hidden items found in someone else’s property, the find is typically divided: the finder gets half and the property owner gets the other half. Professor Vincent Sagaert of KU Leuven confirmed the framework, noting that if no owner emerges within five years, “the finder in principle becomes the owner of the item.”
A Potential Silver Lining for the Community
If the gold ultimately goes to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, the welfare organization has clear plans. Director Geert Hillaert said the organization would “create additional capacity for our target group across East Flanders,” referring to homeless people and others in need. “That would be a very welcome gift to address the enormous need we experience daily.”
Buyse noted the poetic symmetry: “If this money eventually ends up with CAW, the circle is truly complete. That’s exactly what the Van Assche family wanted: that something good happened with their money.”
As the investigation continues, the fate of the 9 million euro treasure - and who ultimately benefits from it - remains to be determined. For now, the discovery stands as a remarkable reminder that extraordinary finds can emerge from the most ordinary of places.