Hikers find nearly 4 kilograms of gold in a Czech forest

Two hikers discovered a significant collection of gold and jewelry hidden inside a stone wall in the Krkonoše mountains of the Czech Republic.

The find occurred in early 2025 when the pair spotted what looked like metallic waste caught in the stones. Upon closer inspection, they revealed a carefully organized stash of gold wrapped in black fabric, along with a nearby iron box containing gold cigarette cases, bracelets, a comb, and a silver mesh handbag.

Numismatists from the East Bohemian Museum in Hradec Králové analyzed the find, which includes 598 gold coins. The museum notes that the coins were not intended for circulation but were deliberately hidden for protection. The collection features a diverse geographic origin, with roughly half of the coins coming from the Balkans and the other half from France. Notably, the stash completely lacks coins from Central Europe or Germany.

Miroslav Novak, the head of the museum's archaeology department, suggests three historical periods for the burial. These include the Nazi occupation and subsequent deportations after 1938, the expulsion of German populations from Czechoslovakia in 1945, or the communist monetary reform of 1953. Because some coins bear countermarks from the 1920s and 1930s, experts believe the gold was buried well after 1915. The Czech Bureau of Testing is currently analyzing the non-monetary objects to determine their composition.

Under Czech law, the hikers who discovered the treasure may receive up to 10 percent of the estimated value.