To lead people to the gold, Forrest penned a short poem in a self-published memoir that provided cryptic clues to its location. Inspired by the stories of lionhearted treasure hunters he had read as a boy, art dealer Forrest Fenn reputedly hid a bronze chest containing over £1 million worth of plunder somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Undiscovered since: 2010 Estimated worth: in excess of £1 million Should your subterranean search prove fruitless, a replica of the locomotive is currently under construction, which should at least fool friends into thinking you’ve uncovered its exalted cargo.Īuthenticity: Though the Nazis were known to hide stolen artwork in caves and mines for protection from allied bombings – and the underground network is real – no historical documents support the existence of the gold train.Īn art enthusiast reputedly buried a treasure chest somewhere in the beautiful Rocky Mountains © bjul / Shutterstock The Fenn treasure, Rocky Mountains Intriguing tours of the man-made tunnels (built by German prisoners of war) are available, along with entry to Książ Castle in Walbrzych itself – potentially envisioned as Hitler’s secret headquarters. Today the Owl Mountains are criss-crossed with walking trails threading through the dense countryside. However, their search ultimately proved unsuccessful. The story caused a media frenzy in 2014, when two men claimed to have found the fabled wartime treasure. ![]() It was said that as the Red Army advanced on Wrocław in the latter stages of the war, Nazi generals loaded the country’s most precious spoils onto a train and sent it southwards towards Wałbrzych to be hidden in an underground facility under construction in the Owl Mountains. In the Polish city of Wałbrzych, a local legend tells of a hidden WWII-era train laden with stolen loot. Undiscovered since: 1945 Estimated worth: 300 tonnes of gold, jewels and artwork Some of the treasure may also have been looted by sailors fleeing the wreckage or opportunist scavengers in the aftermath of the incident.Ĭould the mysterious tunnels under the Owl Mountains hide a wartime treasure? © Mirek Hejnicki / Shutterstock Nazi gold train, southern Poland While chances of stumbling upon the wreckage are marginal, travellers are guaranteed a glimpse of the famous galleon in the sleepy city of Melaka, where a life-size replica stands in the midst of fantastic food stalls and kitsch antique shops.Īuthenticity: The ship was real and first-hand accounts documenting its lucrative cargo exist – though these may be exaggerated. Several serious expeditions have taken place to find what’s touted as the world’s most valuable sunken treasure, but the wreckage has never been found.Īnyone with hopes of coming into a watery windfall should head to the paradisiacal isle of Pulau Weh at Sumatra’s northern tip, which offers exceptional diving in little-explored turquoise waters patrolled by sharks and rays. Revered as the holy grail of plunderable shipwrecks, the Portuguese Flor de la Mar was returning from a successful siege on the rich Malaysian port of Melaka when it was caught in a storm and sank somewhere off the coast of Sumatra – taking its estimated £2 billion spoils down with it. ![]() ![]() Undiscovered since: 1511 Estimated worth: £2 billion ![]() The person who finds the wreckage of the Flor de la Mar can expect a watery windfall © Chase Weir / Shutterstock Flor de la Mar, Straits of Malacca
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