By Michael Maharrey

In a region fraught with geopolitical turmoil, Eastern European central banks are loading up on gold.

Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have been among the top gold buyers this year, with Poland leading the way.

As a Bloomberg report put it, "Striving for a sense of security is a powerful motive in a region that's been ravaged by Europe's wars of the past — and that now finds itself next door to the continent's deadliest conflict since World War II."

The National Bank of Poland is this year's top gold-buying central bank.