Gold nugget worth €22,000 hidden in Lapland fell

A gold nugget valued at €22,000 has been hidden in the Levi fell area of Finnish Lapland, with the finder allowed to keep it, Yle reports.

The treasure hunt has reached an estimated 2.5 billion people across 66 countries, far exceeding the 250 million typically reached by Levi’s World Cup events. The campaign, called The Midnight Sun Hunt, aims to promote summer tourism in Levi and Lapland, which remains largely unknown to a global audience.

Clues to the nugget’s location are being released throughout the summer, with the final hint scheduled for 22 August. The treasure, described as thumb-sized, is hidden in a way that requires explorers to traverse Levi’s terrain, engaging with local services and landmarks.

The hunt is a collaboration between Levi Tourism, the local Agnico Eagle mining company, and the Levi ski resort. While the campaign has drawn some criticism over transparency in the mining company’s community engagement, many locals view the financial support as a natural part of the industry’s operations. The mine directly and indirectly employs around 1,000 people, most of them from Lapland, with half residing in Kittilä.

For the mining company, the €20,000 gold nugget is a minor expense—its annual revenue last year was approximately €485 million, with around €220,000 allocated to local infrastructure and sponsorships.