Map revealed triggering a treasure hunt for riches buried by Nazi soldiers in the Netherlands during World War II

Few things capture the imagination like a good old treasure hunt, and there’s a big one taking place in the Netherlands this week. Officials in the European country have released an old map believed to reveal where soldiers invading from Nazi Germany hid millions of dollars in riches looted during World War II.

The high-pitched buzz of a metal detector tells treasure hunter Jan Henzen he might be getting closer.

“I’m pretty tickled,” he says. “I searched this area for 30 years and found some beautiful Roman objects, but I never knew Nazi treasure was buried here.”

The Dutch National Archives unveiled the news and released the map online after it was kept hidden under the country’s official secrecy law for 75 years.

“The red crosses show where four treasure chests are buried,” said archives consultant Annet Waalkens as she explains the map, which covers an area in and around the village of Ommeren in the Netherlands.

“There are brooches, necklaces, silver and gold coins, rubies, diamonds, lots of valuables,” she said of the buried loot, which is believed to be worth millions of dollars.

Modern explorers have invaded the Dutch town, which stood on the front lines during World War II, hoping to uncover loot taken by German soldiers looted after a bank explosion in 1944.

Officials have watched the treasure hunt with interest, but concerns have been raised about the extent of the amateur looting.

Officials have watched the treasure hunt with interest, but there have been concerns about the extent of the amateur looting.

“I’ve seen people from all over the Netherlands. Yesterday someone from Drenthe with a dowsing rod said he had found the spot, but it was under the tarmac, so that was impractical,” said the city’s former mayor Klaas Tammes. “I understand but I really think it’s going to be hard to find. On the other hand, as president of the foundation that owns this land, I’m also a little scared because I know people are going to start digging at random. I hope it doesn’t get out of hand.”

However, Henzen remains focused on his hunt.

“I think it’s buried here,” he says, “and I’m not the only one because I can already see some big holes in the ground.”

But in the end, the race for riches may never be won; Dutch officials received the map from a German soldier shortly after World War II, and they tried twice to find the treasure in 1947, but came up empty-handed.