Gold treasure worth 9 million euros found in Belgian brewery

Construction workers discovered a gold treasure valued at approximately 9 million euros (10 million USD) during renovation work at an old brewery in Dendermonde, Belgium. While installing drainage pipes in the basement of a building owned by the social welfare organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, workers unearthed a safe containing 49 gold bars and roughly 4,000 gold coins.

One of the workers, 18-year-old student Kobe Phillips, reported that the discovery began when he noticed what he initially thought were euro coins in the soil, only to find a small gold bar attached to an excavation tool. The local police seized the items, inventoried them, and moved them to a secure federal vault under state custody.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of East Flanders has launched an investigation to determine the legal origin of the gold, exploring potential links to historical illegal activities or the banking collapses of the 1930s Great Depression. Under Belgian civil law, a legitimate owner has five years to claim the treasure. If no claim is made within this period, the value will be split equally between the workers and the property owner, which intends to use the funds for regional social projects.