More hidden treasures?
Before we visited the salt mine I told you about in my last newsletter, we enjoyed a couple of relaxing days by lake Grundlsee, one of the many beautiful lakes in the Salzkammergut area of Austria. The owner of the camping recommended a restaurant situated about 15-20 min walking distance from the camping. We set off in the late afternoon, following the path through the dense forest, along a creek of such clear water you could certainly drink directly from it. Arriving at the restaurant, Fischerhütte (Fisherman's Hut), situated by a lake, we were drawn into an enchanting and bewitching atmosphere. Standing by the shore, looking out over the lake, you feel this place holds a secret. The photo does not make justice to the atmosphere.
The gold treasure in Lake Toplitz
It turns out the lake is Toplitz, and the name of the lake sounds familiar to me. True enough, outside the restaurant is a board with newspaper clippings on the search for a Nazi gold treasure in the lake. One of the mythical stories of Nazi gold, or true?
We were there at dusk and I must admit there was an atmosphere around the lake, difficult to explain. The lake is situated between the hills, surrounded by dense forests and cliffs. It is not big, it is 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long and 400 m (1,300 ft) wide, but very deep with its 103 m (338 ft). It turns out the water contains no dissolved oxygen below a depth of 20 m. Below this level the water is salty and the only life forms found are bacteria and worms which obviously survive in this surrounding. No wonder you feel that dead depth, even standing on the shores of the lake.
So, what about the gold treasure? In the beginning of the 1940s the area and the lake served as a naval testing station for the Nazis, mostly for different explosive tests. Different expeditions have ever since made dives in the lake and investigated, more or less, the whole lake. Sorry to make you disappointed, but no gold treasure was ever found. However, in 1959, investigators found £700 million of counterfeit notes, which supposedly were intended to sabotage Britain’s economy.
Watching a few youtube videos on the subject, I can only agree with one of the local persons interviewed. He said, why would you want to hide gold at the bottom of a lake? You can never be sure to find the exact spot again. Things move under water and you would need a lot of equipment to take it up. You have a dense forest around the area and it would be much easier to dig a hole and hide the gold there. Easier to get hold of later, even with just a spade.
So, that is probably the end of looking for a gold treasure in the lake. But, who knows? These things never cease to tickle our thirst for historic mysteries and fortunes. And, there are a lot of other lakes in this area.
That was the end of our treasure hunting for now. But, I love a historical mystery and there will sure be other ones along my path.
A little bit of romance?
At one side of the lake is a beautiful path along the shore and forest. There we found a memorial stone over Archduke Johann (John) (1782-1859) of Austria and his wife Anna Plochl. Johann was born in Florence as the 13th child of Grand Duke Leopold I of Tuscany and Maria Louisa of Spain.
During the Napoleonic wars Johann was, reluctantly, given command of the Austrian army, where he made a career for some years. However, his interest lay elsewhere. His native language was Italian, but he also spoke French and German. He was educated by Swiss historian Johannes von Müller, and through his studies developed an interest in history and geography of the Alpine countries. After his military career he took up his interest for nature, technology and agriculture, and was an active alpinist and hunter (aren´t all Habsburgs hunters?) in the Duchy of Styria. He is remembered as a great moderniser in Styria and founded universities, museums and other institutions.
So, where does the romantic part come in? Johann lived a rather simple life considering his family connections. He fell in love with Anna Plochl (1804-85) who was the daughter of the postmaster in Aussee (the bigger village nearby). As part of the Habsburg family, Johann had to have the permission of the Emperor for his marriage. The request was not well recieved at the time, but Johann was stubborn. In the end the Emperor gave his approval, although Johann was excluded from succession to the throne. The couple had one son, Franz.
The memorial stone at Lake Toplitz commemorates their first meeting on 19 July 1819. They married in 1829.
My blog
Things are slow in the Austrian heat and I have not written a lot of posts lately. Here is a wrap-up for August.