Smolarz added that the alleged location of the gold train that would be used by Germans for carrying away treasures and valuables from Wroclaw during World War II is being supervised by the forest guard and the railway protection service. In addition, the foresters introduced an order on the prohibition of access to this part of the forest. Anyone who violates this prohibition will be heavily fined. Last night a fire broke out here; the fire service does not rule out arson. However, the fire may have also broken out by accident, because the area turned into one huge picnic a few days ago. People take walks or have barbecues or bonfires. A real invasion of Wałbrzych took place when Piotr Żuchowski – General Conservator of Monuments and Secretary of State in the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage said during the last week’s conference in Warsaw that he believes ‘with a certainty of over 99 per cent’ that the gold train exists.
‘The discovery can’t be confirmed clearly on the basis of documents,’ added Smolarz, clearly attempting to cool down the increasingly spreading gold rush.
The discovery of the place near Wałbrzych where the historical train from the period of World War II had been hidden was reported by the media not only in Poland, but also around the world, including Al Jazzira. The story began when lawyers representing two private persons reported the discovery of the train to the local government. They wanted the state treasury to acknowledge their right to claim 10% of the finder’s fee that they think they should receive. When it turned out that this may have been a train with gold and other treasures that had allegedly been used for carrying away valuables, such as works of art, from Wroclaw at the end of World War II, a real gold rush broke out.
Now military troops with specialist equipment will be involved in the case. ‘We want to operate on the basis of confirmed documents. We can begin excavation works only when the reported data are confirmed,’ said the head of the province.
