Sign up for the editor's
weekly newsletter
- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Reader Offer
February 9, 2012
Construction worker finds €100,000 hidden under old bathtub
Published: 2 Mar 10 16:48 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100302-25613.html
A young construction worker in Munich has discovered €100,000 underneath a bathtub while renovating an apartment, police reported on Tuesday.
- Tourists flock to Germany in 2011 (9 Feb 12)
- Artist compensated for two lost French fries (9 Feb 12)
- What's on in Germany: February 9 - 15 (9 Feb 12)
“The honest young man let police know directly,” the authorities said in a statement.
Police investigation found that the large sum belonged to the apartment’s former tenant, an 88-year-old who now lives in a retirement home.
“Apparently the pensioner forgot the bunch of money in his apartment due to his dementia,” the statement continued.
The sum is currently at the Bavarian city’s guardianship court, meanwhile Druve will receive a €3,000 reward.
German law dictates that those who return found items worth more than €500 are entitled to €25 plus three percent of the item’s additional worth.
The Local (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Fark It!
Digg This
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter ThisToday's headlines
Brutal cold triggers reserve power plants
After exporting power to France earlier this week, Germany has switched on reserve energy plants amid surging demand for electricity due to the ongoing deep freeze hitting Europe. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Artist compensated for two lost French fries
A Munich court on Thursday awarded an artist €2,000 in damages because a gallery lost two 22-year-old chips that were the basis of an artwork in which the fries lay across each other in a cross. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Star cyclist Ullrich found guilty of doping
Germany’s most famous cyclist Jan Ullrich was found guilty of doping and stripped of his third place in the 2005 Tour de France by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Germany expels four Syrian diplomats
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Thursday Germany was expelling four diplomats from the Syrian embassy in Berlin after the arrest of two men suspected of spying on regime opponents. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Berlinale opens with revolutionary drama
Diane Kruger stars as Marie Antoinette in "Farewell My Queen," a lush costume drama set on the eve of the French Revolution that will open the 62nd Berlin film festival on Thursday. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Rent-jumping family caught by police
An eight-person family that avoided paying rent for years by moving house every two to three weeks has finally been caught in the northern German town of Schneverdingen. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
What's on in Germany: February 9 - 15
This Week's Highlights: The star-studded Berlinale film festival kicks off in Berlin, Munch goes on view in Frankfurt, and a ukelele orchestra sets up in Munich. READ »
Sick pups found in van
German police this week rescued 92 puppies from a van, after the dogs had spent 13 hours being transported across Europe without food or water. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
More Society
- 09/02 Artist compensated for two lost French fries (2 comments) »
- 09/02 What's on in Germany: February 9 - 15 »
- 09/02 Sick pups found in van (5 comments) »
- 09/02 Berlinale opens with revolutionary drama (1 comment) »
- 08/02 German papers win paparazzi case in Europe »
- 07/02 Lost ancient artefacts found after 50 years (6 comments) »
- 07/02 Frozen kraut jam leaves autobahn drivers sauer (11 comments) »
- 07/02 Sex helps 'keep you young' in old age (9 comments) »
- 07/02 Rapper on dole faces benefit cut for lyrics (8 comments) »
- 07/02 Virus lays low thousands of farm animals (10 comments) »
Highlights
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop is the online supermarket for British Expats. -
Greenback Expat Tax Services
US expat tax preparation services, specializing in Americans living in Germany -
KFZ-Sachverstaendigenbuero Detlef Buchwald
I am an unaffiliated and impartial automotive appraiser -
Greenback Expat Tax Services
US expat tax preparation services for American owned companies in Germany -
Keith Tanner
Your British financial adviser in Berlin -
Get Grocery
Online shop for wide range of authentic Indian food in Germany/EU -
British Allsorts
Your Corner shop in Munich
Sponsored Links
- EXPATTAX - German tax advice in English language - nationwide
- Dolores - Berlin's best California-style burritos!
- Learn German in Germany at one of the largest German schools in Berlin: ESL IH Berlin – booking made easy with ESL – Sprachreisen
- Hundreds of job opportunities for foreign professionals in Germany
- Translation and English writing services
- Find the right relationship
- Your advertisement here
Jobs in Germany, in English
1328 jobs available
874 new jobs this week
222 new jobs today
- Labor Entwicklungsingenieur (Medizintechnik)
- Biostatistican -SAS- (m/f)
- Teamleiter für die Dokumentationskontrolle
- Sales Manager m/w, Medizintechnik, PLZ 76XXX
- Senior Product and Marketing Manager Air Conditioning / Heating / Ventilation (m/f) (FH, Uni)
- Internship - Investment Funds Services
- Advisor in Invetment Funds Regulation (m/f)
- Commodity Manager - Metal / Plastics
- Sales Manager - Chemical Industry (m/f)
- Administrative Support in our Markets department (m/f)
Blog
- Feb/07 Do you like home-made Rock’n Roll with your fries?
- Nov/25 Hop on hop off Berlin
- Nov/25 Shopping in Berlin
- Nov/25 Typical Berlin
- Nov/25 I lost my heart in Kastanienallee
Essentials
Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your
style? Find a German sweetheart here.
Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather
section.
Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.
Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of
charge.
Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.
Register
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
News from the Goethe-Institut
- The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere 2.0? – Answers from Gerhard Schulze
Does the public sphere have a different structure in the digital age than in the past? Some answers from Bamberg sociology professor Gerhard Schulze.... - Dancing is thinking – on the relationship between philosophy and dance
At first glance, dance and philosophy seem to be a contradictory pair. - More Than Just a Dream: The German Digital Library
The German Digital Library, the project of the century that is to make Germany’s cultural heritage freely accessible to everyone, is gradually taking concrete shape.... - Celebrating the Moment – Against Asceticism
Abstinence is ideologically in vogue. - Little Hollywood am Main: The LUCAS International Children’s Film Festival
LUCAS is Germany’s oldest children’s film festival.
News from Young Germany
- Weimar has the best international university in Germany
The Bauhaus University in Weimar, Thuringia, describes itself as being eager to experiment, open... - New law clears way for recognition of degrees and training earned abroad
The Upper House of the German Parliament, the Bundesrat, has approved groundbreaking legislation... - Deutsche Literatur im Netz
Wer sich im Ausland für deutsche Literatur interessierte, hatte es früher nicht immer leicht, an... - German research vessel begins Antarctic expedition
The Polarstern—a German research vessel operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and... - Science - a powerhouse of ideas
Scientific insights that can change our world are at the centre of a special scientific conference...
News from DeutschlandOnline
- Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors
Countless mice, rats and rabbits die every year in the name of science – and the situation is... - German employers split over campaign to ban smoking breaks
Employers in Germany have launched a campaign to ban all smoking in the workplace, not just... - Marine Research in Kiel is heading towards new shores
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel established On January 1, 2012 the former Leibniz... - Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle: Laying down ambitious and binding rules for the euro
Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued the following statement in Berlin today (11...
Noticeboard
- 09/02 Looking for family
- 07/02 Help needed
- 06/02 Channel 4 News request - moving to Germany
- 06/02 Native Italian Speaker
- 06/02 Sport-Promotion in Berlin
- 05/02 English Lessons via Skype
Toytown Germany
- 23:34 Opening a German bank account
- 23:33 International schools in Berlin
- 23:14 Photography Club Munich
- 23:11 VAT Registration Questionnaire Received
- 22:54 Potential position at Rolls Royce Dahlewitz
- 22:47 Drinking & Clubbing In Karlsruhe
- 22:33 Preparing for the TestDaF German language exam
- 22:28 Working at the Deutsche Bank risk center
- 22:28 2012 Curries in Berlin
- 22:20 Classic classified ads
Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Your comments about this article:
What if the cash he found was fake? He would have been sent to prison for using it. He did the smart thing. I think it is good that there is a known finders fee, it gives people hope that they can do the right thing and won't be left empty handed for it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8455897.stm
As this guy even turned the reward, really we are not lacking honest people in this world with lot of corruption and so on ....
Vittaldas Shenoy K
Germany
Exactly. It's what you do when nobody's looking that makes the person.
If somehow you had direct knowledge that the money was, say, a drug dealer's income, maybe it's a different story. But a good person does the right thing because that is it's own reward. Being thanked or collecting a reward is nice, but it's not why you do it.
Knowing a senile old man can pay for the care he's going to need would, I imagine, make this guy feel pretty damn good.
I also was impressed with the German people for being smart enough to codify the law about paying a 3% finders fee to the honest tradesman for returning the money. It reinforces the good nature of most people and rewards adequately some one who is a good samaritan and does the right thing. I think laws like this help the fabric of our societies. Congrats, Germany.
And the comments were as usual an interesting slice of life. I can sympathize with almost all the comments and understand exactly where we all are comming from. I am clearly no saint and have proved that to myself many times. What I do find interesting after sixty years of experiencing these things is that it is the times I didn't do the right thing that still bother me long after the benefits of those things are long gone. I guess my conscience bothers me when I have acted in a way that I was not proud of , or something bigger, who knows, but I would be willing to bet that our respectable German construction worker will proudly tell this story for the rest of his life. Maybe there is something to this "golden rule" thing after all.
Answer: "jon seligman"
Also, "Internationalwatch" is a synonym.
Police given the 50,000 euro by the finder.
Courts now want to find the owner of the 10,000 euro.
Late breaking news! Court awards the found 1000 euro to the owner, a patient in a hospital.
All is well!