A collection of artifacts from Romania were stolen in a heist at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands on Saturday.
At roughly 3:45 in the morning, three hooded figures broke into the Dutch museum using explosives to open a locked door. Once inside, it took the thieves about three minutes to steal the Romanian objects and flee the museum.
Dutch police are still investigating the heist in conjunction with a nearby car fire. They believe the thieves likely set the car ablaze before escaping in another.
“This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest,” Harry Tupan, the Drents Museum director, said in a statement. “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.”
While there is round-the-clock surveillance, the museum only has guards on duty during the day.
Among the stolen artifacts were the golden helmet of Coțofenești and three golden bracelets that dated back to the ancient Dacians, who inhabited parts of the Balkan region.
The 5th century B.C.E. helmet was solid gold, weighing in at a little over two pounds, and featured elaborate decoration, including large studies and a scene sacrificing a lamb. It is believed to have been used in ceremonies.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu referred to the the stolen items “of incalculable value” and asked for a speedy recovery on social media. “I trust that the Dutch authorities will do everything in their power to apprehend the culprits and return the artifacts to Romania.”
The artifacts were included in the traveling exhibition “Dacia – Empire of Gold and Silver” from the National History Museum of Romania, which had been on display at the Drents Museum since July 2024.
