Israeli Diamond Portal Reports: Hunting for lost Nazi Diamond Treasure

Nov. 15, 2009 - PRLog -- During the war, German Nazis looted gold, diamond, art and treasures from the territories they occupied and the people they victimized, later to be looted themselves by Russians at the end of war.

In the last months of the war, some of the Third Reich's secret archives were hurriedly transported from Berlin to the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia, Moravia, Southern Germany and Austria .In one case, On April, 1945, the chief cashier of the main branch of Berlin’s Reichsbank (back then it was the central bank), Georg Netzeband, was entrusted with 164 jute sacks containing 730 bars of gold

He was to take the treasure to an abandoned potash mine near the town of Merkers in Thuringia, central Germany, where it was assumed that the treasures would be safer than in Berlin. In addition, diamonds, gems and jewelry were added to the shipment. The amount or value of the diamonds is unknown, but historians assume the diamond were worth at least several of millions Euro in today's terms.

Colonel Franz Pfeiffer, commander of the Alpine division, had been tipped off about the gold by friends in Berlin. When Netzeband arrived in the mountains, Pfeiffer seized the valuable cargo. Among those diamonds and jewelries were special pieces with fancy shapes, which allegedly were especially big.

Under the cover of darkness Pfeiffer dispatched a mule train to an isolated forester’s house at Einsiedl, high above Lake Walchen near the Austrian border, but it was not long before he realized that too many people knew about the hiding place. Villagers had spotted the trucks and the mules.  

The gold ingots were too bulky and heavy to be carried further through the mountains so they were left in place, while the rest of the treasure such as cash money in US currencies, was speared among the soldiers.

Recently, the Austrian authorities are considering a 99-year ban on a search for Nazi treasure at the bottom of a lake in a bid to protect wildlife. The ban will include diving expeditions at the Toplitz Lake where treasure seekers have tried for decades to find Nazi treasure. Over the years, many treasure hunters and divers searched the lake looking for the dumped diamond and gold as Allied forces swept through Europe at the end of World War Two.

Josef – A man with a mission

Josef Muzik, a Czech treasure hunter, spent thirteen years clearing rubble from underground tunnels and investing all his money into the effort. He says that now he's come as close as ever to uncovering the treasure he believes lies hidden near the village of Stechovice in Czech Republic. The story of "The Treasure of Stechovice" that was hidden by the Nazis at several locations in the valley of the Vltava River in Central Bohemia has excited treasure hunters since the end of the Second World War.

Some believe the Nazis buried priceless war booty in specially-created tunnels near the village of Hradistko near Stechovice. It is believed to include gold, diamonds, jewelry and pieces of art, as well as secret files and scientific documents. Some even believe the Nazis hid the famous "Amber Room" looted from Russia in 1941 in the tunnels. However, so far the Josef Muzik's team has come empty.  

So if you think of joining the hunt for lost Nazi diamonds, let me know and I might join the dig…

# # #

The Israeli Diamond Industry organizations
Behind the Israeli Diamond Industry are a group of vital and dynamic institutions. Each one is responsible for a different aspect of the industry’s activities.