January 2025
Assen, Netherlands
Drent Museum
January 31, 2025
Heist alert! An explosive theft occurred at the Drent Museum in the Netherlands last Saturday in the early hours. Thieves targeted Dacia – Kingdom of Gold and Silver an exhibit about the people of Dacia, who lived in an area that includes large parts of Romania and is of cultural importance to modern Romanians. The exhibit was composed of over 600 gold and silver objects from 15 Romanian museums but the undeniable star of the show is the Coțofenești helmet. A golden headpiece from 450 BCE that depicts Getic mythology and epitomizes the different cultures that influenced Dacia’s art. So it comes as no surprise that thieves targeted the helmet but they also managed to grab three gold bracelets as well. It is imperative that these objects are recovered as quickly as possible because gold objects are not stolen from museums to be resold, they are stolen to be melted down. While that is never a good thing, in this case it would be particularly tragic because the helmet has become an important part of Romania’s heritage and cultural identity. Children learn about the Coțofenești helmet in school, replicas have appeared in films and its image has graced everything from publications to stamps. Now that we have wrapped our brains around how devastating this theft is, let’s tackle how it happened. Obviously, an exhibit of precious metals, especially one with gold and silver in the title will attract the wrong kind of attention. This is why the museum had extra security for the exhibit but they did not have a guard stationed in the gallery at night. However, it is unlikely that it would have made much of a difference because these thieves were willing to use explosives. Surveillance video shows three people planting explosives on the door and blasting their way in and shattering several windows in the process. Authorities believe that a car fire nearly four miles away is related to the theft. Officials are asking the public for help, especially if any museum visitors remember seeing someone acting strangely or lingering around the stolen objects as well as any doorbell and dashcam footage from the time of the theft. What is most alarming about this theft is that it is the second time in three months that explosives have been used in the kind of theft like this one. We can only hope that this does not become a growing trend. You can learn more about the theft here and here or just watch the surveillance footage here. Some of these news items have been updated with news of an arrest which we will be discussing next week.
A separate story could be written about the museum’s response to the theft of these cultural treasures and how people have responded to it, but we will simply leave you with this article that discusses the controversy around the halfway mark and the Drent’s website.*
February 7, 2025
Dutch police have made 3 arrests in connection with the theft of 4 Romanian cultural treasures from the Drents Museum. Since investigators found those suspects only 4 days after the theft they are hopeful that they will be able to recover the stolen objects intact. They have not ruled out more arrests and have released the image of a 4th suspect they are looking for. As of our deadline not much else is known. You can learn more about it here, here, and here.
As we discussed last week, the people of Dacia and the helmet of Coțofenești are of great cultural significance to the modern people of Romania. Across the country people are mourning the loss of the helmet and the 3 stolen bracelets in addition to being angry that they were in a position where they could be taken. That anger is being expressed in a variety of ways. The director of the National Museum of Romania was fired for allowing the Dacian treasures to go out on loan. The prime minister has accused the Drents Museum of not adequately protecting the Dacian treasures. It is worth noting that the loan agreement did not stipulate that security guards had to be physically present in the gallery. He is also going to send investigators to the Netherlands to assist with the investigation and demanding an investigation into the museum loan domestically. The National Museum is even considering taking legal action against the Drents. I do have some questions about that last one. The thieves used explosives to enter the building, which prior to this had not been a common tactic. With accusations of inadequate protection and legal threats it seems to imply that the Drents should have been blast proof. I assume that most of the anger is directed on the fact that a security guard was not in the gallery at the time of the theft but that would not have mattered if the thieves were unable to enter the building. So again it feels like the Drents is at fault for not being immune to explosives. Gentle Reader, most of us reside in buildings that could be breached with explosives. I understand the need to do something with the pain and anger over this theft but it feels like there may be a more productive way to channel it. You can learn more about the public outcry here, here, and here.*
