Set amidst the Austrian Alps is a deep lake that has enthralled the world for decades: Lake Toplitz.
It is said that a massive collection of controversial, classified documents and the remains of a treasure trove can be found in its depths. Allegedly, these items were stowed away by Adolf Hitler’s most senior followers just before the end of World War II.
Back then, the mountains surrounding Lake Toplitz were known as the legendary ‘Alpine Fortress’ or ‘Alpenfestung’, a retreat area for the German armed forces and its officers.
According to myth, SS officer Ernst Kaltenbrunner, one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, arranged for the transport of 50 boxes filled with the gold reserves of the Third Reich. The SS “war hero” Otto Skorzeny was also said to have stashed away boxes of gold here. Furthermore, it is thought that the lake could contain highly controversial documents with details of secret Nazi bank accounts in Switzerland as well as information on the machinations of Adolf Eichmann, the notorious war criminal, just before the invasion of the US troops.
Which aspects of this myth are true and which are not? Numerous diving expeditions have tried to discover the truth – and failed. Nevertheless, the myths remain.
Those who have explored the history of the lake have certainly found enough material to fill the pages of a thriller novel – including SS officers, mysterious divers, counterfeiters, adventurers seeking a fortune and the crew of a German Navy test station, who conducted secret tests with explosives and underwater rockets from 1943 to 1945.
This is the first comprehensive film about the intriguing adventures surrounding the myth-enshrouded Lake Toplitz.
Produced by Terra Mater Factual Studios