Construction workers discover €9m gold hoard hidden in Belgian building

Construction workers renovating a former brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium, discovered a hidden gold hoard worth €9 million bricked into a cellar wall. The stash, containing coins, nuggets, and bullion bars, was found while laying sewage pipes. The property is owned by the welfare charity CAW Oost-Vlaanderen. Under Belgian law, authorities have secured the gold while a five-year search for the rightful owner, potentially descendants of the Van Assche brewing family, is conducted.

Dendermonde gold discovery

• ▪Construction workers renovating a property in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium, discovered a hidden stash of gold bars, nuggets, and coins worth an estimated €9 million (£7.6 million) on August 11, 2026.
• ▪The gold hoard was found stashed inside a bag within a bricked-in cellar wall beneath a grand villa on Van Langenhovestraat in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde.
• ▪The gold hoard was discovered by construction workers, including an 18-year-old student named Kobe and site manager Mario, while they were drilling to lay new sewage pipes in the property's cellar.

Historical brewery property

• ▪The social welfare organization CAW Oost-Vlaanderen owns the property and is gutting the building to create new offices and housing.
• ▪The grand villa on the former brewery site was originally built in the late 19th century for the brewery's owner, Theophilus Van Assche.
• ▪The property where the gold was found is a former brewery site, known as Brouwershuis, where brewing operations began in 1899 and ceased in 1970.

Legal ownership claims

• ▪Former Dendermonde mayor Piet Buyse speculated that the gold belonged to the wealthy Van Assche brewing family, who may have converted their fortune into gold and hidden it.
• ▪If no owner claims the gold within five years, Belgian civil law dictates the treasure be divided between the finders and the property owner, provided it is not linked to criminal activity.
• ▪Under Belgian civil law, a rightful owner has five years (1,823 days) to claim the discovered gold hoard.

Police investigation response

• ▪The East Flanders public prosecutor's office, represented by Hanne Ollevier, launched an investigation to verify that the gold was not stolen or linked to criminal activity.
• ▪Following its discovery, the gold hoard was moved by authorities from the Dendermonde site to a secure facility in Brussels.
• ▪The Dendermonde local police department updated its official Facebook profile picture to an image of a gold coin following the discovery.

Public treasure hunting warnings

• ▪CAW Oost-Vlaanderen director Geert Hillaert expressed hope that the gold might eventually be used to support the charity's daily welfare work in Dendermonde.
• ▪Local police warned the public and treasure hunters to stay away from the active construction site, stating that all gold had been removed and the building was being demolished.