Story perspectives

Renovators Find €9M Gold Treasure in Dendermonde Brewery

8/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

Renovators at a former brewery in Dendermonde uncovered gold bars, coins and nuggets worth €9 million.
18-year-old summer worker Kobe reported the find to police and to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
Police moved the gold to a secure Brussels facility and warned the public to stay away from the site.
CAW director Geert Hillaert hopes the treasure will fund the charity, while prosecutor Hanne Ollevier says investigators must verify it is not crime-linked.

History

Historical Context

In 1939, archaeologist Basil Brown, hired by landowner Edith Pretty, uncovered a 7th-century ship burial at Sutton Hoo, one of about twenty barrows. A treasure-trove inquest in September 1939 affirmed the grave goods as Pretty’s property, and with World War II’s outbreak they were placed in museum storage. Cambridge archaeologist Charles Phillips oversaw the excavation and the treasure was donated to the British Museum, prompting heritage-protection debate.

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Story summary

Renovators at a former brewery in Dendermonde uncovered gold bars, coins and nuggets worth €9 million.
18-year-old summer worker Kobe reported the find to police and to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
Police moved the gold to a secure Brussels facility and warned the public to stay away from the site.
CAW director Geert Hillaert hopes the treasure will fund the charity, while prosecutor Hanne Ollevier says investigators must verify it is not crime-linked.

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