In the early hours of Saturday, January 25, three men broke into the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, using explosives to bypass a locked door. Within three minutes, the thieves had stolen and fled with multiple priceless relics. One such artifact, the golden helmet of Coțofenești, features illustrations of magical creatures and various Geto-Dacian art motifs. Three two thousand-year-old spiral bracelets from the Balkan region were also stolen.
The theft of these artifacts, which were on loan from the National History Museum of Romania’s traveling exhibition titled “Dacia—Empire of Gold and Silver,” has angered citizens from the Netherlands and Romania alike. The golden helmet of Coțofenești is regarded as a Romanian cultural treasure, leading Romanians to push for the return of the artifacts.
With the help of global policing agency Interpol, Dutch police arrested three suspects in the case in Heerhugowaard, about two hours southwest of Assen. Unfortunately, neither the helmet of Coțofenești nor the bracelets have been found at the time of writing.
Dr. Ernest Oberlander-Târnoveanu, the Romanian museum’s director, was dismissed from his position after refusing to resign at the request of the Romanian Minister of Culture Natalia-Elena Intotero. Intotero cited his alleged failure to provide her with documentation about the Dutch museum’s security systems as the reason for his termination. “I was not indicated to have violated any law or applicable regulations […] and attempts were made to intimidate me [into resigning],” Dr. Oberlander-Târnoveanu responded concerning his dismissal.
Golden Helmet of Coțofenești. Drents Museum
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