Archive · 14 Aug 2026
€9m Gold Hoard Found Behind Belgian Cellar Walls
Some builders were fixing pipes in a building in Belgium when they found something amazing — gold bars and coins hidden inside the cellar walls.
The gold is worth about nine million euros, which is a huge amount of money.
One of the workers was an 18-year-old student named Kobe who was working during his summer holiday.
He first thought the shiny objects were just one-euro coins, but then he saw a gold nugget and realised they had found a real treasure.
The workers called the police right away, because keeping that much gold would be stealing.
The police took the gold and put it in a safe place.
The building belongs to a charity that helps people in the town of Dendermonde.
Now the big question is who gets to keep the treasure: the original owner, the workers, or the charity.
In Belgium, the true owner has five years to come forward and claim it.
If nobody does, the treasure can be split between the people who found it and the owner of the property — unless the gold turns out to be connected to crime.
Construction workers renovating a property in East Flanders, Belgium, discovered gold bars and coins worth around €9m (£7.6m) hidden inside cellar walls.
The hoard was found while the crew drilled through the property to install new sewage pipes during foundation work.
Police have secured the gold, moved it to a safe location, and warned the public to stay away from the active construction site.
The property is owned by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a charity in Dendermonde whose director expressed hope the money could benefit the organisation's welfare work.
Under Belgian law, a rightful owner has five years to claim the treasure; otherwise civil law could divide it between the finders and the property owner, unless it is linked to crime.
- Who
- Construction workers renovating a property in East Flanders, including 18-year-old summer student Kobe and site manager Mario, along with CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, the charity that owns the property.
- What
- Discovery of gold bars and coins reportedly worth around €9m (£7.6m) hidden inside a cellar wall.
- When
- Earlier this week, while workers were carrying out foundation work during the summer.
- Where
- A property in East Flanders (Dendermonde), Belgium.
- Why
- The discovery raises the question of who is legally entitled to the fortune, prompting the East Flanders prosecutor's office to investigate the treasure's origins and ownership.
Finders' Claim
Owner's Claim
Who is entitled to the treasure
Finders' Claim
The builders who found the gold could claim a share as finders, since Belgian civil law allows hidden treasure discovered on someone else's property to be divided between the finder and the property owner.
Owner's Claim
The charity CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, as the owner of the property, could receive a share of the treasure if no rightful owner is identified, and its director hopes the money could benefit the organisation's work.
Legitimate ownership vs. criminal origin
Finders' Claim
A rightful owner could come forward within five years to claim the hoard, meaning the gold may belong to a legitimate private owner.
Owner's Claim
Authorities are investigating whether the treasure has any connection to criminal activity; if it does, the finder-and-owner division rule would not apply.
- Estimated value
- Around €9m (£7.6m)
- What was found
- Gold bars, coins and a gold nugget
- Location
- Cellar walls of a property in East Flanders, Belgium
- Property owner
- CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a welfare charity in Dendermonde
- How it was found
- Builders drilling to install new sewage pipes
- Legal claim window
- 5 years for the rightful owner to come forward
- Current status
- Gold secured by police; investigation by East Flanders prosecutor's office