Thousands on the search Mysterious golden owl found after three decades

The treasure hunt for the Golden Owl in France has been going on for over three decades. Now it has been found.

The golden owl has been found: A treasure hunt that lasted a good three decades and involved thousands in France appears to have come to a happy end. "We confirm that the replica of the owl has been unearthed," announced one of the organizers of the game on its internet forum on Thursday. The bronze owl had been buried in 1993 at an unknown location, which was indicated by a book with eleven riddles.

The finder was supposed to be able to exchange the replica for an owl weighing around ten kilos, made of precious metals and set with diamonds. Its value was originally estimated at 150,000 euros. While the replica was safe in its hiding place, the real owl had a turbulent fate.

Replica was exchanged in 2021

It was temporarily confiscated by an insolvency administrator. In 2009, the only person who had known about the hiding place died. He left an envelope with the coordinates with a notary, which was the subject of a legal dispute that lasted for years. In 2021, the hiding place was inspected in the presence of a bailiff - and the now rusty animal was replaced with a new replica.

After several new editions of the puzzle book, new treasure hunters kept taking part in the game - which is now nearing its real end, namely the exchange of the bronze owl for its rich sister.