Hikers Find Centuries-Old Buried Treasure In The Czech Republic
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Two hikers were walking along a moss-covered wall in the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains in the Czech Republic in early February when a glint of metal caught their eye. A closer look revealed an aluminum box. To their surprise, it contained nearly six hundred well-preserved gold coins. They were neatly arranged in 11 columns and wrapped in black fabric. Just a few feet away, they uncovered a second, smaller metal box. This one had 16 cases, 10 bracelets, a comb, a chain, and a compact case.
Suspecting the treasure held historic value, the two men gave the boxes to the Museum of Eastern Bohemia. As it turned out, they were right. All the gold coins were over a century old. Most were French, dating from 1808 to 1915, but the collection also included coins from Austria and Hungary. Some even had special markings indicating they were reissued in 1921 in what is now Serbia and Bosnia.
Museum archeologists are still analyzing the items from the second box. They have not yet confirmed whether the yellow metal used in the cases, bracelets, and other objects is actually gold. However, they believe both boxes were buried sometime after 1921.
"The treasure was hidden in the ground for over a hundred years," the museum’s coin expert Vojtěch Brádle said in a statement in early May 2025. "What is certain is that in 1921, at least part of these coins could not have been on our territory [Czech Republic]. They must have still been in the Balkans at that time."
Burying precious items during periods of unrest was a common practice during ancient times. The owners hoped to return for them, but many never had the chance. This is what may be what happened in this case.
"Storing valuable objects in the ground has been a common practice since prehistoric times," Miroslav Novák, head of the museum's archeological department said in a statement. "It was clearly not about the nominal value of the coins or about what the coins could buy. Rather, it was deliberately hidden because it was a precious metal."
Archeologists hope to consult ancient records to uncover the full story behind the buried treasure. Meanwhile, the museum, which unveiled the discovery in early May 2025, plans to display the entire collection to the public soon.
Resources: Smithsonianmag.com, Artnet.com. muzeumhk.cz
