By Tim Binnall
In the hopes of putting an end to speculation that their community contains hidden Nazi loot, a Dutch village enlisted a team of experts to hunt for the treasure and the search ultimately came up short. The town of Ommeren found itself in an unwanted spotlight earlier this year when the National Archives of the Netherlands released a tantalizing WWII-era map that allegedly reveals the location of a buried cache of riches stolen by German soldiers in 1944. Much to the chagrin of village officials, the community was soon swarmed by treasure hunters trying to locate the horde. However, an officially sanctioned search this week would seem to suggest that there are no riches to be found.
On Monday morning, local historian Joke Honders reportedly led a group of experts, which included archaeologists and metal detectorists, to the spot in Ommeren where the treasure map indicates that the cache was buried. Alas, after around four hours of searching, the team called an end to the hunt as it had only led to the discovery of a WWI-era bullet and some scrap metal. Remarkably, the municipality that oversees the community had actually supported and funded the expedition after being sold on the idea by Honders. Local officials now consider the case closed, though it remains to be seen whether or not the effort will dissuade treasure hunters from continuing to visit the village with dreams of finding the apocryphal horde.