A diary from World War II that may contain the location of a treasure worth billions of dollars and hidden by the Nazis has come into the spotlight for a map it may contain, according to media reports.
The diary was written by a S.S. officer under the pseudonym “Michaelis,” Polish news site The First News (TFN) reported. It contained the plans of Heinrich Himmler, who wanted to hide the priceless works of art, artifacts and other riches the Nazis stole during the war. The diary is said to contain a map that shows 11 sites where the Nazis hid the riches, including a 16th-century castle near Roztoka, Poland.
In total, there are believed to be 11 sites in the diary where the treasure is located and may total more than 30 tons of gold.
The gold is believed to be at the bottom of a well, nearly 200 feet under the castle, known as Hochberg Palace. TFN reported the gold is worth billions of euros.
The diary was held for years by a Masonic lodge in Quedlinburg, Germany that counted Nazi officers among its members, including “Michaelis,” the author of the diary. In 2019, the lodge gave the diary to the Silesian Bridge Foundation “as an apology for World War II,” TFN reported.
Roman Furmaniak, who leads the Silesian Bridge Foundation, told TFN he believes the location in Roztoka is the first of the 11 hiding places mentioned in the diary.
“Based on instructions I received from the Quedlinburgers, I believe I have located the well in the grounds of the palace,” Furmaniak told the news outlet.
Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, ministry representative Magdalena Tomaszewska said the diary’s authenticity has not yet been confirmed.
In addition to the map, Furmaniak said there were additional documents in the diary, including ones that suggest after the Nazis illegally took the artifacts, witnesses were killed and their bodies were dumped in the well, with explosives used to seal the entrance.
The owners of Hochberg Palace are going to restore the building, which has been neglected for years. As the restoration work continues, there will also be a search for the buried well, TFN noted.
Long-lost Nazi artifacts have been found in some unusual places in recent years.
A bust of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, along with a Nazi flag and several other documents and items from World War II, were found in the basement of the French Senate in September 2019.
Nazi bunkers that were used against US forces at the D-Day landings during World War II in Normandy were discovered in February.