Belgium construction workers find €9 million gold hoard

Construction workers in Dendermonde, Belgium, discovered a massive hoard of gold valued at approximately €9 million ($10 million) during a renovation project. The find occurred while the crew was installing sewer pipes in the cellar of a building owned by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a local social services charity. The property was reportedly a former brewery.

The treasure, which includes roughly 49 gold bars, nuggets, and approximately 4,000 coins, was found inside a chest bricked into a cellar wall. Some of the gold bars bear stamps from 1957 and 1961. The discovery was made by a crew that included an 18-year-old student named Kobe, who initially mistook the find for common one-euro coins.

Authorities have seized the gold and moved it to a secure government vault in Brussels. The East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation to determine the origin of the hoard and identify its rightful owner. Investigators are also looking into whether the gold is linked to past criminal activities or robberies. Under Belgian law, if no legitimate owner or heir claims the treasure within five years and no criminal connection is found, the value may be split between the charity and the workers who discovered it.