SINT-GILLIS-DENDERMONDE, BELGIUM — What was supposed to be an ordinary summer job turned into a once-in-a-lifetime discovery when an 18-year-old Belgian student excavated a sewage line and uncovered a hidden treasure trove of gold valued at approximately €9 million (£8 million).
An Unexpected Strike
The student, identified only as Kobe, was working alongside his colleagues at a former 19th-century brewery site on Van Langenhovestraat in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, roughly 30 km northwest of Brussels.
While trenching for drainage pipes, Kobe noticed objects glinting in the dirt. Initially mistaking them for €1 coins, he and his fellow workers began unearthing the site, only to realize they had uncovered numbered gold bullion bars, gold coins, and gold nuggets.
”We suddenly saw something lying there. At first, I thought it was €1 coins… Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought. It’s just not something you expect when you’re working on a regular Tuesday morning,” Kobe told local media.
The Century-Old Secret
The fortune was stashed inside a bag inside a bricked-in cellar wall beneath the grand villa built for Theophilus Van Assche, the former brewery owner. Brewing operations on the site originally began in 1899 and ceased in 1970. The historical property is currently being converted into office spaces and social housing by the welfare organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
Legal Investigation & Ownership
Kobe and his team immediately notified local police and site administrators. The treasure has been transferred to a high-security facility in Brussels.
Authorities are now conducting a thorough investigation to confirm the gold was not linked to past criminal activities.
Under Belgian civil law:
A 5-year waiting period is mandated to allow potential legal heirs or owners to present a claim.
Potential claimants could include descendants of the Van Assche family, the welfare organization owning the property, or the construction company.
While the workers surrendered the fortune as legally required, they hope to receive a finder’s reward once legal proceedings wrap up.
