An 18-year-old student in Belgium discovered gold worth approximately 9 million euros while digging a trench for drainage. He was working as a temporary laborer on a construction project during his summer vacation.
The gold was found on Tuesday at an old building in the Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde area.
The student’s name is Kobe; his full identity has not been disclosed. He and his colleagues were digging the ground for a drainage line at the site of an old brewery when they suddenly spotted something lying underground.
Kobe told the Belgian media outlet VTM that he initially thought the items were one-euro coins, so they began picking them up. Later, they spotted a gold bar and realized that what they had found was far more valuable than they had imagined.
It was later revealed that the hoard included gold coins, gold fragments, and numbered gold bars. These items were contained in a bag, which had been hidden in a secret space enclosed by bricks within the wall of an old villa.
The building was constructed in the late 19th century for Theophilus Van Ass, the owner of a local brewery. Located on Van Langenhovestraat, the site is about 30 kilometers northwest of Brussels.
Kobe remarked that they never expected to find something like this while working on an ordinary Tuesday morning.
He believes the gold was deliberately hidden there, as it was not kept in a chest but permanently concealed behind a brick wall.
Brewing operations at the site began in 1899 and ceased in 1970. The building, currently listed as a heritage site, is undergoing extensive renovation. The social welfare organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen is developing new offices and housing facilities there.
Geert Hillaert, an official from the organization, said the building was once magnificent, but almost everything inside is now being removed, leaving only the walls standing. Workers discovered the gold while installing water drainage pipes.
Upon finding the gold, Kobe and his colleagues immediately notified the police and the CAW authorities. The gold was subsequently moved to a secure location. It is currently being held in a safe place in Brussels pending a detailed government investigation to determine ownership.
Hanne Olvier, an official from the East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office, stated that it must first be confirmed that the gold is not stolen property. It must also be verified whether the gold was purchased using funds derived from criminal activity. Complex civil disputes regarding ownership could arise thereafter.
The contractor involved in the building’s construction, the CAW, and the heirs of the once-wealthy Van As family could all potentially lay claim to the gold. Under Belgian law, there is a mandatory waiting period of at least five years for potential owners to stake their claims after the discovery of hidden treasure or valuable assets.
Piet Buyse, the former mayor of Dendermonde, suggested that the Van As family’s wealth likely remained within the family.
He speculates that family members may have converted at least a portion of their assets into gold and hidden it in a secure location; thus, it is quite possible that the gold belongs to them.
However, Kobe and his colleagues never considered keeping the gold for themselves. Kobe said they understood from the very beginning that such a significant find should be handed over to the authorities—though the situation might have been different had it been just a few coins. He now hopes that they might eventually receive some form of reward.
