Museum Burglars Use Explosives to Steal Ancient Artifacts “`

Dutch authorities are investigating a museum robbery in which a group of thieves stole priceless Romanian artifacts.

Early Saturday morning, burglars used explosives to break into the Drenths Museum in Assen, Netherlands, making off with a collection of ancient Romanian gold and silver artifacts. This incident is the most recent in a string of art heists across the Netherlands.

Police responded to reports of an explosion at the museum and discovered that several significant archaeological pieces had been taken. A Monday police statement confirmed their belief that multiple suspects were involved, and that Interpol is assisting in the investigation.

Among the stolen items is the 2,400-year-old Cotofenesti golden helmet, a Romanian national treasure, and three gold bracelets dating back to approximately 50 BC.

These items were part of the “Dacia: Rich in gold and silver” exhibition, which was concluding its run at the museum. The helmet, bracelets, and hundreds of other gold and silver objects were on loan from numerous Romanian museums.

The Dacians were an ancient Indo-European people who inhabited a large area of present-day Romania from the Bronze Age until their conquest by the Romans in the second century AD. Their art shows influences from Greek, Celtic, Thracian, Scythian, and Persian cultures due to their location on major trade routes.

“This is a devastating day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest,” Drents Museum director Harry Tupan stated. “In our 170-year history, such a significant event has never occurred. We extend our deepest sympathies to our colleagues in Romania.”

In a Sunday Facebook post, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced the formation of a government-level crisis team dedicated to recovering the stolen treasures. He confirmed that Romanian law enforcement will collaborate with Dutch police, and that Romanian experts will travel to the Netherlands to facilitate the swift return of the remaining collection.

This robbery follows a similar incident two months prior, where thieves used explosives to steal four Andy Warhol prints from a gallery in Oisterwijk. Comparable art thefts occurred at an art fair in Maastricht in 2022 and at a museum in Laren in 2020, resulting in the theft of Vincent van Gogh’s ‘The Parsonage Garden’. The Van Gogh painting was recovered three years later and is now on display in Groningen.