Holy Grail from Lake Chiemsee

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by Björn Schöpe

September 6, 2012 – Since Indiana Jones at the latest it should be generally known that Christ hardly drunk from a pompous golden cup but more probably from a simple specimen made of wood. But certain images stick. One of these images is that of the Knights of the Round Table who search a magnificent golden cup that constitutes the centre of all their acting on earth and promises salvation and the mired goal in heaven: the Holy Grail.

A Swiss entrepreneur hoped to be redeemed on earth by the ‘Holy Grail’ – selling shares in gigantic financial prospectives on the Holy Grail. With a professional promotion he expected the object to produce a profit of a billion Euros due to exhibitions, Hollywood license rights and more. What exactly is the story behind the object sold by the businessman as Holy Grail nobody knows for sure until now. For sure, however, the Swiss was sentenced by a court some days ago. Since he needed money in order to fill up ‘gaps’ opened by certain illegal and unsuccessful financial transactions he had attracted investors who paid him nearly 24 million Swiss Francs. The so-called  ‘Chiemsee Cauldron’ was only one of his many activities. Anyway, as for these operations he now has been sentenced. But let’s start with the beginning …

In 2001 a diver recovered a cup made of pure gold with a 50 centimetres diametre and 30 cm height in Lake Chiemsee nearby Seebruck. The object was ornated with reliefs on the outside similar to Celtic findings. Allegedly the State of Bavaria was eager to conceal the find for a whole year. Later, however, the State of Bavaria and the finder sold the cup on the market by mutual agreement. In May 2005 the Swiss now condemned purchased the nearly 11 kg object for 300,000 Euros. He quickly even surpassed the speculation it once might have been a Celtic sacred object by ‘selling’ it as the authentic Holy Grail. 7.4 million Euros he is said to have received by investors who hoped in enormous profits from this finding.

The research of an archaeologist and a journalist suggests that the ‘Chiemsee Cauldron’ was made at suggestion of high Nazi officials in the 1930s in order to serve during initiation rites in a castle. Shortly before the end of the war an agent allegedly sank the cup in the lake.
For decades, hence it was buried in the water, now it is kept in a Swiss safe being part of the Swiss bankrupt’s estate.
The Swiss, anyway, allegedly found another investor who has the intention of paying some 7 million Swiss Francs for the golden cup – thus the now convict could at least pay his debts. During the trial he was convinced of proving that the Chiemsee Cauldron originated from the 15th century, though, another time he stated that the gold could not be from this planet. At any rate, his marketing strategy enters the second round.

An extensive article on this story you can read here.

To learn more about the very complex legend of the Holy Grail you may refer to the relative Wikipedia article.