By Tim Binnall
In an amazing story that should give hope to those who wonder if there remain any buried treasures from World War II, a sizeable cache of riches was unearthed by the grandson of a Polish man who hid the stash over 80 years ago. The remarkable tale reportedly began back in 1939 when Adam Glazewski and his family realized that their estate was in the path of the invading Russian army and set about hiding their valuables on the property prior to fleeing the scene. To avoid being swept up in the war, they began new lives in various parts of the world and the left-behind cache was relegated to becoming a part of the family's lore until fifty years later, when Adam's grandson, Jan, decided to embark on a hunt for the treasure.
As his father, Gustaw, grew older, Jan began to fear that critical first-hand knowledge of the hidden valuables could be lost forever. In 1989, he recalled, "I kind of nagged him" into producing a map of where the riches had been buried so that "one day I might be able to go to the estate and look for it." Based on only his memory from being at the property when the valuables were stashed, Gustaw was able to draw directions to the location of the cache along with some pertinent notes which included the directive that his son "must find our silver and my hunting guns." Although deeply inspired by his father's instruction, it would be another twenty years before Jan could begin searching for the treasure in earnest.
Beginning in 2019, Jan set about scouring his family's long-lost estate in the hopes that his father's map would lead him to the hidden riches, though the landscape of the area had changed dramatically and he began to wonder if "this is a bit of a wild goose chase." However, with no indication that the valuables had been removed in the decades since they were buried, the treasure hunter persisted and eventually located a specific slope in the land that was mentioned in his father's notes. It was there that he unearthed the hidden silver items, which included candlesticks, cutlery, and a jewelry box containing what are not precious family heirlooms.
Although the horde is estimated to be worth a considerable sum of money, Jan indicated that its value is far more personal to him as his mother had helped to bury the objects back in 1939 and she subsequently passed away when he was only seven years old. "Here I was, touching stuff that she had packed away 80 years previously," he wistfully recalled, "it was a very emotional thing for me." Beyond that, he expressed a certain amount of satisfaction at solving the mystery that had been a legend in his family for decades. "It's a kind of fulfillment of a life dream," the successful treasure hunter mused, "as a little boy, of finding the treasure."