The video is grainy however ominous: three hooded figures that climb one above the opposite to tug the heavy door to entry the Drents Museum – the Museum of Artwork and Historical past in Assen, the Netherland Hours on Saturday.
At daybreak, it grew to become clear that it was not an newbie theft. The Dutch police mentioned the explosion is a part of advanced makes an attempt to penetrate the well-known museum and theft of a few of its treasures, together with a precious helmet manufactured from gold borrowed from Romania.
“It is a gloomy day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the Nationwide Museum of Romania in Bucharest,” Harry Tupan, Director of the Drents Museum, mentioned in an announcement. “We’re very shocked by the occasions final night time on the museum. In his 170-year existence, there was by no means such a serious incident.
There are three gold bracelets among the many stolen artifacts and the golden helmet of KotofeniExquisitely embellished, huge golden head from the fifth century BC. The helmet, which weighs simply over two kilos, options giant spikes on the prime of the pinnacle.
It dates from the traditional Dacians, which inhabited components of the Balkan area. The helmet, which is well-known in Romania and is believed to have been utilized in ceremonies, depicts varied scenes, together with somebody who sacrifices a lamb.
The helmet and a number of other different gold artifacts had been on show as a part of a touring exhibition from the Nationwide Historical past Museum of Romania and had been on show on the Drents Museum Since July 2024S
Though authorities refused to connect a sum of cash to the stolen items, Romanian employees have called Their worth is “incorrect” for the tradition of Romania.
Neither representatives of the Nationwide Museum of Historical past nor officers of the Romanian Ministry of Tradition had been found instantly on Sunday.
Dutch police mentioned it was investigating a hyperlink between a housebreaking and a close-by automotive fireplace. In line with them, the thieves probably ignited one automotive earlier than fleeing one other.
A A similar theft of works of art happened in November On the MPV Gallery in Amsterdam, when thieves used a bomb to enter an artwork gallery and stole two engravings by American artist Andy Warhol.
