After decades of rumours, speculation, mysterious maps and books detailing the likelihood of Nazi gold in Hallstaettersee lake, Salzburg, Austria, divers found nothing more exciting than a large pile of boots at 125m.

Gerhard Zauer who runs a dive school close to the lake has spent years researching the possibility of Nazi gold in the lake, fuelled by reports that people saw a large number of boxes being emptied there at the end of WW2. The decision of the Austrian authorities to ban diving in all but a few nominated sites added to speculation that something of value was waiting to be discovered.
Zauer managed to obtain permission to dive and assembled a team of divers to investigate the rumours. What they found was thousands of army boots and shoes, piled up several meters high in places.
Hallstaettersee lake is a famous archaeological site with ice caves, historic salt mines and evidence of human habitation going back 5,000 years. The water temperature at depth is 4 degrees and ice forms on the surface in winter. The team of divers used trimix, drygloves and argon suit insulation to cope with the cold. Reaching a depth of 125m (400ft) their total dive time was 5 hours for a 20 minute bottom time.
It seems like an awful lot of bother for a vintage pair of army boots, but Zauer and his team are undeterred and intend to explore other lakes in the area.

News Index Page