2016-08-16 17:38 update: 2018-09-27, 02:37
Wałbrzych, 16.08.2016. Koparki i ciężarówki wjechały, 16 bm. na teren w okolicach 65. kilometra linii kolejowej Wrocław-Wałbrzych, gdzie rozpoczęto poszukiwania tzw. złotego pociągu. Niemieckiego składu z czasów II wojny światowej szuka firma Piotra Kopera i Andreasa Richtera, którzy w sierpniu ub.r. zgłosili rzekome znalezisko. Prace poszukiwawcze prowadzone są w granicach miasta Wałbrzych przez należącą do Kopera i Richtera firmę XYZ oraz podmioty z nią współpracujące. (cat) fot. PAP/Maciej Kulczyński
Treasure hunters in southwestern Poland began searching Tuesday for a legendary train rumoured to be packed with gold and valuables looted by the Nazis during World War II.
The train is said to be armoured and located in a secret hideout along a rail line between the cities of Wroclaw and Walbrzych in the southwest of Poland. The area was part of Germany until the borders shifted after the war.
The search for the "gold train" involves heavy equipment such as excavators and trucks and is being conducted within Walbrzych city limits by a company representing two men claiming to have tracked down the train in August last year.
A spokesman for the company, Andrzej Gaik, has told PAP that the search had begun with work to clear the site of rubble. He added that more than 60 people are taking part in the project, including engineers, chemists, geologists and archeologists.
Preparatory work began on Friday when the area was fenced off and some of the trees were cut down, Gaik said. On Sunday and Monday, the site was scanned with ground-penetrating radar.
The search is expected to last two weeks, with plans for three excavations 30 metres apart from one another, each with a length of about 100 metres, according to Gaik.
In August last year, Poland’s deputy culture minister at the time, Piotr Zuchowski, suggested that it was "more than 99 percent certain" that the train existed. However, many historians and scientists remain skeptical. (PAP)
gs/
