RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Reactions after the theft in the Netherlands

The Romanian government has set up a crisis cell and Romanian policemen are going to the Netherlands, after four pieces from Romania's national treasure were stolen from a museum in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Exhibition Poster (Photo: Facebook / ICR Brussels)
Exhibition Poster (Photo: Facebook / ICR Brussels)

, 27.01.2025, 14:00

Four of the most important artefacts from Romania’s national heritage were stolen from the Drents Museum in the Dutch city of Assen. They include the gold helmet from Coţofeneşti, which dates from the 5th and 4th centuries before Christ, as well as three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, from the second part of the first century before Christ. The pieces, of inestimable historical value, were part of the Exhibition “Dacia – The Kingdom of Gold and Silver” which opened on July 7, 2024 and was to be closed on January 25. The robbery took place on Friday night to Saturday, when four people used an explosive device to enter the museum premises, stole only the Romanian artefacts and fled in a car. Later, they set the car on fire to hide their tracks. The Dutch police do not rule out that Romanians were also involved in the robbery and are investigating the possibility that they fled to Germany.

 

The four stolen assets are part of the collection of the National History Museum of Romania and were the most valuable in the exhibition. All exhibited objects had been insured for 30 million Euros before being sent abroad, in accordance with Romanian and international legislation. Both the space and the showcases in which the heritage objects were displayed were secured and had surveillance systems installed, as well as alarm systems connected to the local police. In Bucharest, the General Prosecutor’s Office announced that an ex officio criminal file was opened in this case, and the investigations will be carried out by prosecutors of the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice and by specialists from the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police. At the same time, a crisis cell was created at the Romanian government, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the recovery of the helmet and the three Dacian bracelets is a priority.

 

In turn, the Romanian Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, said that the theft of the Dacian treasure is an international shame and that it should be found out whether this robbery was possibly orchestrated to manipulate the nationalist trend ahead of the presidential election in Romania due in May. The prime minister’s control body is verifying at the Ministry of Culture the documents underlying the sending of objects from the national treasury to that exhibition, and the relevant minister, Natalia Intotero, will meet with the royal family and the prime minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof. Also, the Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, announced that a team of Romanian criminologist police officers will urgently join their Dutch colleagues to help in the investigation and that the Romanian authorities maintain permanent contact with the Dutch and European ones. The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, had an exchange of messages with Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who has given assurances that the Dutch authorities are taking all the necessary steps to identify the perpetrators and recover the treasure. (LS)

Finance Minister Tánczos Barna (Photo: gov.ro)
Today in the News Friday, 04 April 2025

Aid for companies affected by US tariffs

Romania, just like other European economies, is preparing for the new tariffs announced by the Trump administration.   The government in...

Aid for companies affected by US tariffs
Meeting of the defence minister Angel Tîlvar and the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte
Today in the News Friday, 04 April 2025

Meetings on defence

  The international hysteria about the US abandoning NATO is unwarranted, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the foreign ministers of...

Meetings on defence
Photo: Paul Teysen / unsplash.com
Today in the News Thursday, 03 April 2025

New US Customs Duties

The US president Donald Trump has made a decision, experts predicted long ago, namely new tariffs on all imports to US. In a speech delivered at the...

New US Customs Duties
Ilie Bolojan la Conferința „
Today in the News Thursday, 03 April 2025

Romania, towards the OECD

Romania is on track to complete all the technical analyses for joining the OECD in the next twelve months or so. The announcement was made by the...

Romania, towards the OECD
Today in the News Wednesday, 02 April 2025

EU reacts to US tariffs

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Brussels has prepared “a strong plan” containing “firm countermeasures” to counter...

EU reacts to US tariffs
Today in the News Wednesday, 02 April 2025

Romania is getting ready for elections

Romania had in 2024, like in no other year in three and a half decades since it transitioned to democracy, four rounds of elections – local,...

Romania is getting ready for elections
Today in the News Tuesday, 01 April 2025

Romania marks one year since joining Schengen

Romania marks one year since partial accession to the Schengen area.   Romania marks one year since joining Schengen with air and sea borders, a...

Romania marks one year since joining Schengen
Today in the News Tuesday, 01 April 2025

Sea Shield Exercise

  “Sea Shield 25”, the largest multinational training exercise organised this year by the Romanian Navy, has begun in Constanta. A roughly...

Sea Shield Exercise

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company