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Construction workers in Belgium discover gold trove worth over $10 million during building renovation

Construction workers in the Belgian town of Dendermonde discovered a stash of gold bars and coins worth an estimated $10.5 million during renovation work on a former brewery. The treasure, which was bricked into a cellar wall of a grand villa originally built for the Van Assche family, was uncovered by a team of laborers laying drainage pipes. Philip Kobe, an 18-year-old student working on the site, was the first to notice the find. He initially thought the coins were one-euro pieces before realizing they were gold. The haul includes several dozen numbered bullion bars and thousands of gold coins, including gold sovereigns. Local authorities are currently investigating the legal ownership of the trove. While the Van Assche family was known for being wealthy and religious, their will did not specifically mention the treasure. Under Belgian law, the finders have a five-year window to establish ownership. If no clear owner is identified, the gold will likely belong to the local charity CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, which currently owns the land.

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