“The items belong to the state,” the official explained softly.
Rudy could not take his family’s treasure home. The “Schlattner Hoard” was now government property of the Czech Republic.
The room went tense. Would the old man fight it? Would he claim what was rightfully his?
Rudy looked at the shelves, then at the museum director. He nodded slowly.
[readalso]
“My father wanted them to be safe,” Rudy said. “If they go to a museum, our story will be told. That is enough.”
Rudy Schlattner left the house empty-handed, but his heart was full. He had fulfilled his father’s last wish. He had proven that the secret existed.
Today, the items are displayed in the local museum in Ústí nad Labem, a testament to a family who lost everything but never lost hope of returning home.
[readalso]