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Discovery of Nazi "gold train" rather belief in legend: Polish Minister of Culture

Xinhua, September 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The recent news concerning a possible discovery of the so-called "Nazi gold train" in Poland are rather faith, hope and trust in legends - Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage Malgorzata Omilanowska said on Wednesday.

Omilanowska commented on the recent speculations about the train which reached fever pitch on Friday after Poland's deputy minister of culture Piotr Zuchowski said that "he was more than 99% certain the train existed" and might be located nearby Walbrzych, south-western Poland.

"The issue of gold train is currently a matter of faith and trust in legends... we divide into those who believe more and those who are skeptical... we have no knowledge," Omilanowska said. She added the one and only person to be contacted regarding the matter is provincial governor who is directly engaged.

The governor has called a crisis management group on Monday due to a huge interest in searching for the train nearby the city of Walbrzych. The nearby forests have been burnt, probably by possible treasure seekers. On Monday police blocked off the presumed location of the train along a stretch of active railway tracks to prevent accidents. On Tuesday Minister of National Defense Tomasz Siemoniak agreed to send military specialists to make a reconnaissance.

The gold train is believed to be a historical train from the WWII period. It is believed by some to contain gold and valuable items transported away from Wroclaw, city in south-western Poland.

According to some legends, it may contain up to 300 tons of gold, jewels and weapons, as well as valuable art. It was rumored to have gone missing when the Nazis were fleeing Russia's Red Army.

Excitement about the train was sparked by reports from two men, a Pole and a German, who claimed to know the location of the armored train earlier this month. Endit