The Lemminkainen Hoard is a buried cache of gold, diamonds, and ancient artefacts that is claimed to be worth up to £15 billion ($20.4 billion). A team of treasure hunters are “on the brink” of excavating the Lemminkainen Hoard.
It is estimated that the hoard has approximately 50,000 precious stones, such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, plus at least 1,000 artefacts that date back thousands of years. It would be the largest and most priceless treasure ever found.
It is believed to consist of a number of life-size statues in the form of humans made of 18-karat gold, all of which are said to be hiding beneath the enormous cave system of Sibbosberg, which is located approximately 30 kilometres east of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
The hoard, which is said to be entombed in an underground temple in Sipoo, has remained elusive for the past three decades despite the efforts of numerous government explorations as well as the efforts of more than one hundred professional prospectors from all over the world.
But today, after 34 years and more than 100,000 hours of meticulous excavation, a group of twelve pals who describe themselves as “penniless” believe they are only metres away from the wealth, and they anticipate entering the cave during the summer of next year.
The group of friends, who call themselves the “Temple Twelve,” started looking for the treasure in 1987 and have devoted their summers to locating it ever since. They spend six hours a day, seven days a week excavating through the maze-like cave complex that is located close to Helsinki.
From his home in Amsterdam, he gave an interview in which he stated, “I believe that substantial progress has been made at the temple, and that the crew is feeling extremely enthused about the months ahead.”
“There is now talk in the camp of being on the edge of a tremendous breakthrough, which, in actual terms, might be the finding of the world’s largest and most precious treasure trove. This is something that people are beginning to speculate about.
“Up until this point, the Temple Twelve, as they have come to be known, have been successful in removing three enormous square granite rocks that were blocking the entrance to the cave. Additionally, they have cleared the tunnel of hundreds of tonnes of smaller rocks and sand.”
Ior Bock, a local landowner, made the assertion in 1984 that his family was a direct descendent of Lemminkainen, a significant person in Finnish pagan mythology. This was the first time that the rumoured presence of the treasure was brought to light.
According to Bock, who was assassinated by a personal helper in 2010, the chamber on his massive estate was walled up with enormous stone slabs in the 10th century to preserve the treasures contained within from invading Swedish and Swiss forces. Bock was killed in 2010.
Since that time, his family had been the ones to keep the secret and be the “guardians of the cave.” This is what prompted Bock to reveal the existence of the temple in order to ensure that the untold story of the temple would not end with him, thus kicking off the “Bock Saga.”
In 1987, the original group of 24 “like-minded strangers,” consisting of 12 men and 12 women, joined forces with Bock to become the site’s first and only permanent, self-funded excavation team. Bock was the only member of the team.
Even though at least half of the original group has passed away or retired, it is remarkable that two of the original 24 people are still working on the excavations 34 years after they were first started.
There is currently no tangible evidence that the hoard exists, but the Temple Twelve are confident that they have the determination necessary to find and remove the enormous granite slabs that are blocking the temple door.
The group has so far removed several blocks weighing a combined total of four tonnes from the cave’s entrance using simple tools such as spades and buckets. Additionally, they have excavated approximately 400 tonnes of sediment from below the entrance.
They claim that a recent ‘donation’ of dynamite will make it possible to remove the remaining sediment as well as the granite slabs that are covering the door to the temple within a matter of months.
Because of the weather in Finland, the only time it is safe to dig is during the summer months, before the cave starts to become filled with icy rainwater.
At the beginning of each new season, the organisation is required to pump out more than 1.5 million litres of water on an annual basis.
The crew is confident that when they resume digging the following year, they will be able to get into the cave entrance between the months of May and September. We’ll make sure to keep you updated on what we learn from them.
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