After days of intense media speculation worldwide, officials from the Polish Ministry of Culture have partially confirmed the rumours surrounding the startling find. It has emerged that no one has been inside the train yet, but Żuchowski mentioned GPR (ground penetrating radar) photographs, and stated that:
The train is 100 metres long and is protected. The fact that it is armoured indicates it has a special cargo.
Treasure hunters have long been on the hunt for the so-called ‘Nazi gold’ train that mysteriously disappeared in the final days of World War II. As the story goes the train was travelling from Wrocław to Wałbrzych, carrying gold and treasures out of Soviet reach while the Red Army marched into Poland.
German soldiers approaching a Polish armoured train in 1939, photo: East News
The train disappeared somewhere around the Wałbrzych mountains and was never seen again. In that area, close to the German border, there are several tunnels said to be part of Project Reise. The purpose of the tunnels are still unclear to this day. It is possible that some of them were destroyed by the Nazis, but train is allegedly hidden in one of those tunnels.
Adolf Hitler observes a destroyed Polish armoured train, photo: Piotr Kamionka / REPORTER
According to various sources, the train may be filled with Nazi gold, deposits from the Reichsbank, stolen art from Poland and Russia or maybe valuable archive documents. There are even rumours hinting at Russia's long-lost Amber Room. Since the train is likely to be mined, sappers will need to clear the area before its secrets can be revealed.
Sources: press materials, PAP, edited by SW, LB, 28/08/2015