Polish authorities seal off area believed to hide lost Nazi gold train

A tunnel beneath Ksiaz castle in Walbrzych, one of the underground passages built by the Nazis during World War II and where treasure hunters claim to have located a missing Third Reich train laden with gold and valuables. Locals and foreigners have arrived by the scores in recent days with metal detectors and set to combing the forested area of the Owl Mountains in Lower Silesia where authorities said last week they had been shown ground-penetrating radar images of an armored train hidden in a tunnel. Since Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Zuchowski said last week that he was “more than 99%” sure the treasure-laden transport exists and would soon be located, the freelance hunters have converged on the rail line from Wroclaw, creating what authorities say is a danger. “First and foremost, we have to be sure of people’s safety,” Smolarz said, announcing the closure of a small wooded area along tracks leading from Wroclaw into the underground tunnel network.