Recently, 80-year-old Rudi Schlattner and his family returned to his home country for the first time since they fled Czechoslovakia after the second World War. They left behind everything they had.

The first thing Rudi wanted to do for his homecoming was visit his childhood house, which, after numerous renovations and refurbishments, was now being used as a kindergarten.

Photo: Daily Mail.

But more than anything, Rudi wanted to search for family possessions that his father once hid away right before they were forced to evacuate the country.

While looking in the attic, he found a loose board with a string attached that no one had previously noticed, even after numerous renovations.

Photo: Daily Mail.

When he pulled the ring a set of shelves unfolded, revealing a secret compartment full of family items, a treasure trove of WWII-era memorabilia that Rudi’s father had saved in the event that they ever returned to Czechoslovakia.

Photo: Daily Mail.

It was a small space, but it still took hours to clear everything out of the secret room.

Photo: Daily Mail.

Representatives from a museum in the nearby town of Usti nad Labem arrived and began dating and cataloging all of the items.

Photo: Daily Mail.

While many of these things don’t appear valuable, they offer a rare glimpse into life in the 1940s.

Photo: Daily Mail.

“These objects have a very high historical value,” said museum employee Tomas Okura. “We were surprised that so many ordinary things were hidden there,” he added.

Photo: Daily Mail.

According to Okura, such a finding of hidden “German property” in the region is very rare.

Photo: Daily Mail.

This is truly amazing! It makes you wonder what other secrets are hidden in places all around the world, waiting to be discovered.

Photo: Daily Mail.

Please SHARE this amazing historical find if you thought the recovery of these treasures was incredible!

H/T: Daily Mail, Boredom Therapy, LittleThings.