Oktavian Bartoszewski, one of the researchers, suspects the bodies were buried after the house had been built as the remains were located beneath some pipes.

“Those who laid the pipes should have discovered the human remains,” he told Spiegel magazine. “We were completely shocked.”

Polish police said they had found no evidence of a recent crime, adding to suspicions that the case dates back to the Second World War, and may even personally involve Goering, who was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi party and was the chief of the Luftwaffe during the war.

The Wolf’s Lair consists of around 200 buildings and was created in occupied Poland in 1940, becoming one of Hitler’s favourite hideouts.

It was also the scene of the famous July 20 1944 botched attempt on Hitler’s life, in which he narrowly avoided being killed by a bomb planted by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a Nazi officer.

Over the years, amateur sleuths have dug up all manner of relics from the site, ranging from crockery to personal effects that may have belonged to members of the Nazi inner circle.

But Goering’s house was considered to have given up all of its secrets before this week’s macabre discovery.