By Tim Binnall
A Polish treasure hunter who believes that he has found the legendary 'Nazi gold train' has been granted official permission to search for the apocryphal horde of riches. Michał Motak made headlines last May when he anonymously contacted the city of Wałbrzych with a rather audacious claim. The treasure hunter, who has since revealed his identity, asserted that he had determined the location of a secret tunnel containing three WWI railroad cars hidden in a secret tunnel by German forces sometime around the end of the war. What made his account particularly compelling was that a Wałbrzych official described his claim as "substantive and concrete." Nearly a year later, Motak may soon put his bold theory to the test.
In late January, the treasure hunter reportedly announced that Poland’s heritage conservation authority had issued him a one-year permit to search for the suspected riches in Wałbrzych. Motak indicated that his team intends to first conduct geophysical surveys of the area before excavating any spots that seem particularly promising. "What I set out to achieve from the very beginning has now become a fact," the treasure hunter declared, "I know that now nothing will stop me. What I announced will happen. We will do it and shock the whole world." While one cannot help but admire Motak's confidence, it would be wise to temper expectations as the tale of the lost Nazi gold train is replete with promising leads that ultimately wind up being busts.