World’s Longest Treasure Hunt Ends After 31 Years, 5 Months, and 9 Days

The treasure hunt for the “Golden Owl” successful France appears to beryllium implicit aft respective European news outlets study idiosyncratic has yet cracked the codification and recovered the statuette. That makes it the world’s longest treasure hunt aft 31 years, 5 months, and 9 days.

French writer Régis Hauser buried a statuette of an owl determination successful France backmost successful 1993 arsenic a benignant of promotion for his book, On The Trail of the Golden Owl, which helium published nether the pseudonym Max Valentin. Hauser said that the 11 puzzles successful his publication would uncover the location, thing helium assumed would hap comparatively quickly.

The game’s co-creator creator Michel Becker announced connected the Discord for the treasure hunt that idiosyncratic had recovered the owl. It’s not wide yet who whitethorn person yet recovered it.

“We tin corroborate that the Golden Owl was unearthed past night, simultaneously with a solution upload that was sent to the online verification system. There is truthful nary request for you to spell digging astatine the determination you presume to beryllium the hiding spot,” Becker wrote successful Discord according to an English connection translation.

La célèbre Chouette d’or cachée quelque portion en France depuis 1993 aurait été découverte cette nuit!!! #chouettedor #maxvalentin pic.twitter.com/aUsmhwUlV0

— Steph Cruchon (@stephcru) October 3, 2024

Hauser was the lone 1 who knew the determination of the owl and aft helium died a ineligible conflict ensued betwixt the author’s heirs and Becker, the co-creator of the game. Becker received the answers to the riddles successful the aboriginal 2020s, according to EuroNews, and reinvigorated the hunt by launching a Discord server for discussion.

The prize owl weighs astir 22 pounds (10kg), made of metallic and gold. The owl besides has diamonds successful its caput and is billed arsenic worthy astir 150,000 euros ($165,000 US), though the 1 that’s been hidden is simply a bronze replica. Whoever has recovered the replica tin present commercialized it successful for the existent deal, which is successful Becker’s possession.

Before helium died, Hauser insisted successful 1996 that the puzzles truly weren’t that hard if the radical moving connected them would conscionable enactment together. “If each the searchers enactment each their cognition together, the owl would beryllium recovered in… 2 hours,” Hauser said according to the BBC.

The treasure hunt that antecedently held the grounds for longest was successful the UK and dubbed Quest: A Zetetic Treasure Hunt, which lasted 13 years and 7 months, from 1992 until 2006, according to EuroNews. But adjacent the radical who whitethorn not person recovered the treasure this clip whitethorn yet get immoderate closure astir the 11 puzzles that person perplexed them for each of these years. The answers to the puzzles are expected to yet beryllium released.