Golden helmet, Dacian bracelets stolen from Dacian exhibition in Netherlands

Bucharest, Jan 25 /Agerpres/ – The Golden Helmet of Cotofenesti, dated from the second half of the 5th century BCE, and three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, from the second part of the first century BCE, some of the most important artifacts in Romania’s national heritage, were stolen in a ‘particularly serious incident’ that took place at the Drents Museum in Assen, The Netherlands.

‘On the morning of January 25, 2025, a particularly serious incident took place at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, where the exhibition ‘Dacia! Kingdom of Gold and Silver’ was mounted. An explosion occurred, destroying a wall of the exhibition space and allowing several people to enter the museum. As a result of this robbery, four valuable pieces were stolen from the exhibition: the Golden helmet of Cotofanesti (dated from the second half of the 5th century BCE) and three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia (from the second part of the 1st century BCE), some of the most important artifacts in Romania’s national heritage,’ Romania’s Ministry of Culture reported on Saturday.

According to information provided by the management of the Drents Museum and the Dutch authorities, the break-in was carried out by using an explosive on the only outer wall of the building.

All the stolen pieces had been insured in accordance with Romanian legislation and international standards regarding the organisation of exhibitions.

The Ministry of Culture is in permanent contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch partners, assuring the Romanian public that it will take all steps to recover the stolen archaeological artefacts.

At the same time, the National Museum of Romanian History is in constant contact with the Drents Museum, the Dutch and Romanian authorities, making all the necessary efforts to support the ongoing investigation and for the urgent recovery of the stolen artifacts. Also, the Romanian Ministry of Culture was notified immediately after the incident and is working closely with the relevant organisations in the Netherlands and Romania to ensure the recovery of these pieces of inestimable value for the national heritage.

The exhibition ‘Dacia! Kingdom of Gold and Silver’ opened to the public on July 7, 2024, and was to close on January 26, 2025. It was visited by over 77,000 visitors. It comprised 673 archaeological artefacts made of precious metals, coming from the national heritage of Romania. The exhibition project was carried out in partnership with several museums from Romania, including the National Museum of Transylvanian History, the Buzau County Museum, and the Szekler National Museum. AGERPRES (RO – author: Daniel Popescu, editor: Antonia Nita; EN – author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)