In the night of 24 to 25 January 2025 four masterpieces from the exhibition “Dacia – Rijk van goud en zilver” (Dacia – Empire of Gold and Silver) were stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, The Netherlands. The Helmet of Coțofenești from around 450 BC and three royal bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia from around 50 BC were stolen. These four items of immense cultural and emotional value were among the gold and silver treasures that were on loan from the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest and 17 other Romanian museums. The exhibition was to close its doors on 26 January 2025 and extensive security measures had been taken.

It looks like a well planned burglary. An explosion occurred at the museum, damaging the building and forcing entry to the building. Luckily, no one was injured. The police were notified around 3.45am, but as the criminals managed to get out within minutes, they were not caught. Around half an hour after the explosion, a car fire was reported outside the city of Assen. It is suspected the car was linked to the explosion and burglary. Afterwards the criminals possibly took another car to Germany.

The general director of the Drents Museum, Harry Tupan, said: “This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. We are intensely shocked by the events last night at the museum. In its 170-year existence, there has never been such a major incident. It also gives us enormous sadness towards our colleagues in Romania. The police are investigating, we are awaiting the outcome of that.”

The director of the National History Museum in Bucharest, Ernest Öberlander-Târnoveanu, says the robbery seems to have been a very targeted action. He mentioned that the exhibition was partly aimed at familiarizing the public with the rich and ancient culture of Romania.

The stolen artefacts do have a value of about 6 million euro, the cultural and historical importance is much greater. The biggest fear is that the gold will be melted down.

The police are investigating this serious case and hope to locate both the suspects and the stolen masterpieces. Also Interpol has been involved. In Romania, there is close cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, the National Historical Museum and the Dutch authorities.

If you have more information you can contact the tip line (in the Netherlands) at 0800-6070, use the online tip form on the police website, or share your information anonymously via Meld Misdaad Anoniem at 0800-7000. Additionally, the Criminal Intelligence Team of the police can receive anonymous tips while protecting the identity of sources. They can be reached at 088-6617734. In case of emergency, call 112.

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