There are many local stories and legends about a treasure supposedly buried on or near Rambynas by the retreating French Grande Armée after the unsuccessful invasion of Russia in 1812. The X Corps commanded by General Jacques MacDonald retreated from Riga via Tilsit where he spent five days. Stories circulated that in 1920, when Klaipėda Region was administered as a mandate of the League of Nations by the French, a group of Frenchmen dug up some boxes at a local cemetery. In 1930, a detailed map was purportedly discovered that showed where the treasure was buried. This inspired several expeditions in the 1930s in attempts of finding it. Another attempt was organized in summer 1974 by Soviet authorities. According to various stories, it was a direct order from Moscow. The area of excavations was guarded by Soviet troops and involved two visitors from East Germany. In July 2003, Lithuanian newspapers published a story that a treasure was found near Rambynas, but it was quickly debunked as an embellishment of a previous April Fools' Day joke. The various attempts at finding the treasure damaged the hill, local cemeteries, and several other local archaeological and cultural objects.