Historic Romanian Artifacts Stolen in Dutch Museum Heist
On January 25, 2025, a significant theft occurred at the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands, during the "Dacia! Kingdom of Gold and Silver" exhibition. An explosion destroyed a wall of the exhibition space, allowing intruders to steal four invaluable artifacts: the Golden Helmet of Cotofenesti (5th century BCE) and three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia (1st century BCE), CE Report quotes Agerpres
The stolen items, central to Romania's national heritage, were insured under Romanian and international exhibition standards. Romania's Ministry of Culture is coordinating closely with Dutch authorities, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Museum of Romanian History to recover these irreplaceable artifacts.
The exhibition, featuring 673 archaeological treasures from Romania, attracted over 77,000 visitors since its opening on July 7, 2024. It was scheduled to close on January 26, 2025.
