德國小鎮甩出天價債條 柏林需賠付歷史鉅款大綱

The small German town of Mittenwalde could become one of the richest in the world if officials in Berlin were to pay back the long-outstanding debt.
柏林官員如果的確要賠付債務的話，那這個名爲Mittenwalde的小鎮將成爲世界上最富有的小鎮。

According to Radio Berlin Brandenburg, the certificate shows that Mittenwalde lent Berlin 400 guilders in 1562, to be paid back with six per cent interest per year.
據柏林Brandenburg廣播的報道，有證據證明柏林方面在1562年的確向Mittenwalde借了400荷蘭盾（一種貨幣）。而今年柏林方面需按照百分之6的利率還債。

Today the original outstanding debt would stand at an estimated £87million, an amount which would run into 'trillions' taking into account inflation and interest.
這筆債務的原始額度以當今的貨幣來看，約爲8千7百萬英鎊。如果考慮通貨膨脹和利率的因素，那現今的還款額度將達到億萬英鎊鉅款。

Historian Vera Schmidt, who found the slip in the town's archives where it had been since 1962, believes the certificate remains valid.
發現了這條檔案的歷史學家Vera Schmidt深信，該項證據即便至今仍然有效。

'In 1893 there was a debate in which the document was examined and the writing was determined to be authentic,' Schmidt said.
“1893年該項債務的相關檔案已經經過查證，因此該項檔案肯定是確實有效的。”Schmidt這麼說。

Requests to settle the debt have been made by Schmidt and mayor Uwe Pfeiffer, however these appeals have so far been rejected.
Schmidt與該鎮鎮長Uwe Pfeiffer已經提請柏林方面賠付債款，然而他們的請求被柏林方面駁回。

Berlin's finance senator Ulrich Nussbaum, who met with the pair to discuss the debt, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper: 'This case shows that debts always catch up with you, no matter how old they are.'
柏林的財政理事Ulrich Nussbaum與他們已經進行過會面，並且對債務問題進行了磋商。他對《柏林日報》表示：“這一次的事件告訴我們時光再久遠，債務永相隨”。

However given the current financial problems in the Eurozone, Mittenwalde may have to wait a little longer to finally receive its payback.
然而考慮到如今歐洲區的金融現狀，Mittenwalde可能需要等待很久才能拿回欠款了。