What began as a casual hike through a forest in Eastern Bohemia turned into a once-in-a-lifetime discovery: a hidden stash of gold coins and precious objects worth hundreds of thousands of euros.
The remarkable find was made in early February near the southeastern Czech town of Trutnov, on the wooded slopes of Zvičina hill, at the foot of the Krkonoše Mountains. Two hikers spotted an aluminum container poking out of the earth at the edge of a field, now overgrown with trees. Inside, they found nearly 600 gold coins arranged in 11 rolls, each wrapped in black cloth.
Just a meter away, they uncovered an iron box containing 16 snuffboxes, 10 bracelets, a wire-mesh purse, a comb, a gold chain, and a powder compact—all made of gold. In total, the treasure weighs seven kilograms, with nearly four kilograms made up of solid gold coins. Experts estimate the hoard’s value at over 7.5 million Czech korunas (more than €300,000).
A Treasure Hidden with Care—and Intention
Archaeologists believe this was no random hiding spot. Miroslav Novák, head of the archaeological department at the East Bohemia Museum, suggests the person who buried the hoard intended to return for it.
Miroslav Novák (Photo: Milan Baják, Czech Radio)
“The list of possible reasons is fairly clear,” Novák explains. “It could have been buried at the start of a conflict, during the expulsion of Czech or Jewish citizens, or later, after the war, during the expulsion of Germans. Currency reform is another possibility.”
Though the identity of the person who buried the treasure—and why it was never reclaimed—remains a mystery, the meticulous packaging and secure location suggest they meant to retrieve it eventually.
Gold Over Face Value
According to museum numismatist Vojtěch Brádle, the coins’ real value lies not in their face denominations—whether they were worth 5, 10, or 100 korunas—but in their material.
“The motivation wasn’t what the coins could buy—it was the precious metal they were made of,” says Brádle. The total weight of the gold coins was measured at 3.75 kilograms.
Clues Point to Former Yugoslavia
An international mix, the coins include French, Turkish, Belgian, and Austro-Hungarian pieces, with others from Romania, Italy, and Russia. Upon closer inspection, numismatists found that some Austro-Hungarian coins were not intended for Bohemia at all, but rather for parts of the former Yugoslavia—likely Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“After 1921, minting resumed in local mints, and some of these coins, under unclear circumstances, made their way from the Balkans to what is now the Czech Republic,” Brádle explains. “What’s certain is that, at that time, some of these coins could not have been in our territory—they were still circulating in the Balkans.”
The Mystery Remains
A portion of the gold coins from the treasure (Photo: Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové).
The rest of the golden artifacts found with the coins have yet to be thoroughly analyzed. Archaeologists hope that with further study—and perhaps the help of historical archives—they’ll be able to piece together the story behind this incredible discovery beneath the forests of Zvičina hill.
