By Tim Binnall
A Dutch village has been swarmed by treasure hunters hoping to locate a cache of pilfered riches believed to have been hidden in the area by the Nazis during World War II. The unfortunate invasion kicked off last week when the National Archives of the Netherlands released a decades-old map purportedly showing where German soldiers had stashed a horde of jewelry, diamonds, and expensive watches stolen from a bank in the city of Arnhem back in 1944. Although it was stressed that the treasure was probably either apocryphal or had already been secretly discovered, this did not dissuade starry-eyed dreamers from descending upon the village of Ommeren, where the riches were said to be buried.
Over the last week, approximately 100 people have reportedly traveled to the community in search of the treasure, which the map indicated is buried along a row of three polar trees in the village. "I see groups of people with metal detectors everywhere," one resident told Reuters before conceding that he had also caught the proverbial fever. "Like a lot of people, the news about the treasure made me go look for myself," he said, "the chance of the treasure still being here after 70 years is very small I think, but I want to give it a try." While the tale of the hidden riches may wind up turning the village into something of a tourist destination, officials in Ommeren are not exactly thrilled by the sudden influx of visitors in the last week.
According to a local media report, particularly problematic to authorities is that unauthorized digging and the use of metal detectors is prohibited in the community due to concerns surrounding unexploded WWII munitions which could inadvertently be encountered by unwitting individuals. Fortunately, the treasure hunters have yet to accidentally set off any explosive devices, though one determined individual was discovered standing up to his chest in a hole that he had dug on someone's private property over the weekend. Police in Ommeren have so far gone easy on the visitors by only issuing warnings about their illegal activity, though community officials are now trying to figure out a way to put an end to the frenzy before more people arrive looking for the loot.