“It was apparently bothering Huizing a bit, because he made a neat map of where the coffin disappeared under the church floor again.” The family has always preserved a folder from Albert with the background of the excavation. With that ‘treasure card’ in his hands, Berends feels like in an exciting boy’s book. “Boy young, then I felt it.”
Armed with depth meters, metal detectors and a few scoops, the deepest secret research is done in the church. “You would expect it to be a piece of cake. But we found nothing in the indicated place. We dug 2.5 meters deep there, but found nothing.”
After more literature research, the church appears to have been restored in the 1970s. Where the entire floor went on the shovel and the coffin may have ended up in a different place. Or has been stolen. Berends does not exclude it.
“We took a closer look at four places in the church and, to our disappointment, did not find anything. After the last attempt, I thought: I can’t really do anything about it anymore.” It should be tackled larger, like the entire floor out.
Berends secretly hoped that the find of the coffin would be the cherry on the cake for his upcoming book (the last tribe, ed.) “Because then I would have had a world first. So my book has an open end.”
Church steward Gilbert Mulder confirms that Berends contacted the church about five years ago. Curiosity after hearing his story overcame. It was silently investigated whether the box was still present. “We did not want to cause unrest within the community. And suppose we found the coffin. There may be valuable objects in it and then it is better that none of the search knows.”
But Mulder attracts the value of such a find much wider: “It could also shed light on a relatively unknown period in regional history: the early Middle Ages. We still know so little about this region from that time,” says the chairman. “It would add a special chapter to the story of Zweeloo.”
That nothing was found in the end is a disappointment, Mulder says. But for the time being, the ecclesiastical management remains cautious with follow -up actions. “No, we’re not going to just open the floor. That is too expensive and radical.” And as long as there is no convincing evidence, people do not want to take unnecessary risks. “We should find something tangible or have another reason, such as the construction of underfloor heating.”
Where does Mulder think that the box is? “Initially I thought there was a good chance. But I am no longer so convinced,” he laughs. “Maybe the coffin was once taken by someone. Or is it somewhere in an attic forgot.”