Gold nugget worth €20,000 found in Kittilä

An anonymous holidaymaker from Espoo has located a gold nugget worth €20,000 hidden on Kätkätunturi in Kittilä after only half an hour of searching.

The discovery was made on Monday, following the third clue in a treasure-hunt campaign jointly organised by Kittilä’s active gold mine and Levi tourism authorities. The organiser, Visit Levi, said the clue—containing the word “hiljaisuus” (silence)—pointed directly to the rocky slope where the nugget was concealed.

The finder, who asked not to be named, said he had little difficulty reaching the prize. “After the third clue it was obvious the nugget was hidden on Kätkätunturi. Once I decoded the hint about silence, I knew exactly where to look,” he told Yle. “I found it in a scree field within about 30 minutes.”

The man plans to upgrade his accommodation during the remainder of his Lapland vacation. “I won’t be sleeping in the cheapest tent available,” he said. “I’m going to invest in better lodging.”

Visit Levi’s managing director, Satu Pesonen, had predicted the nugget would be recovered once the third clue was released. “That clue was quite clear. If it hadn’t yielded the prize, we would have issued three more,” she said. “After that it would have become a footrace.”

Pesonen said the treasure hunt had drawn strong interest, including a father and teenage daughter who spent hours outdoors despite summer warmth. “One dad told us his daughter hadn’t worn a winter jacket in years, yet she kept it on the entire search,” she said. “Our goal of getting people moving in nature has certainly been met.”

The campaign, which began earlier this month, offered the nugget as a prize to encourage visitors to explore the region’s fells.