Romania’s Dacian treasure stolen in the Netherlands museum

An explosion occurred on Saturday morning near the Drents Museum in Assen, where several objects from the Dacian treasure were exhibited, as part of the exhibition called “Dacia. The Kingdom of Gold and Silver”. Dutch prosecutors later announced that several “archaeological masterpieces from Romania were stolen”, the Dutch press reports. The museum director says that among them is the Dacian helmet from Coțofenești.

Thieves blew up an exterior wall of the Drents museum and targeted the Romanian collection.

Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu, director of the National Museum of History of Romania, told Digi24 that, based on information he received, the thieves broke through the only exterior wall of a reinforced concrete building and went straight to the display cases where the Dacian pieces were displayed.
Târnoveanu explained that the hoard included 673 pieces of gold and silver, from the Bronze Age and the First and Second Iron Ages. In addition to the bracelets from Sarmizegetuza, another stolen object is the Coțofenești Helmet, which the director said “illustrates the behavior of the Getae elites and is, at the same time, a testimony to religious practices. As for the bracelets from Sarmizegetuza, they speak of royalty and religion.”
Târnoveanu detailed that the exhibition would close on Sunday and that the Romanian museum employees would leave for the Netherlands to pack and bring the collection back to the country. The Ministry of Culture informed that all the exhibited pieces were insured, according to Romanian legislation and international standards.

General director of the Drents Museum, Harry Tupan: ‘This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. We are intensely shocked by the events last night at the museum. In its 170-year existence, there has never been such a major incident. It also gives us enormous sadness towards our colleagues in Romania. The police are investigating, we are awaiting the outcome of that.’

The museum director also said that 673 pieces were on display in the exhibition, which was due to leave on Monday, January 27, for the National History Museum in Bucharest.

Mayor of Assen, Marco Out: ‘After the events, there was contact with the King’s Commissioner and the Deputy, who came to the scene. Several ministries are involved, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Like others, I am shocked. I naturally sympathise with the owner of these pieces, the museum in Bucharest Romania. Assen and the Drents Museum are closely linked, so I sympathise with the museum’s staff and management. This is something you don’t want as a museum, but also as a city and province.’

The explosion damaged the museum’s premises. No one was injured and no one has yet been arrested. The police reckon there are several suspects, it is announced on the website of Drents Museum.

The Drents Museum is located in the historic center of Drents in the north of the Netherlands, a city about 30 km south of Groningen and 180 km northeast of Amsterdam.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) has already requested the support of all countries neighboring the Netherlands to find the stolen treasure pieces.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emil Hurezeanu, had a conversation this morning with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp, ​​in which the special patrimonial and symbolic importance of the pieces that are the subject of this case and the emotion that their disappearance generates in Romania were reiterated. The Dutch side provided assurances regarding a clear and urgent commitment both at the operational and political levels in solving the case. The concern is shared and assurances were received that the Dutch authorities are doing all they can to recover these pieces. The Dutch police have activated the cross-border cooperation mechanism and informed Interpol,” the Romanian MFA also announced.
The explosion occurred at around 03:45 a.m., destroying several buildings and windows of some buildings. Dutch authorities have not yet arrested any suspects and are urging people with information about the incident to contact authorities, according to journalists from NL Times. Police have already conducted an investigation at the scene and it is not yet certain whether the deflagration was caused by one person or if several individuals were involved.
“Due to the events, the Drents Museum will be closed all weekend, Saturday and Sunday. The competent authority has been informed. Police are on site and investigating,” is the message posted on the museum’s website, along with the announcement that more information will be provided to the press and the public during the day.
The Drents Museum in Assen hosts the exhibition “Dacia! Rijk van goud en zilver”/ “Dacia! Kingdom of gold and silver”.
 
Among the most important pieces presented in the exhibition are the gold treasures from the Bronze Age and the first Iron Age from Perșinari, Săcuieni, Ostrovul Mare, Răcătău, Sărmășag, Sacoșul Mare, the helmet from Coțofenești, the diadem from Bunești-Averești, pieces from the treasures from Agighiol, Peretu, Cucuteni-Băiceni, Stâncești, the Dacian bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, the Geto-Dacian silver treasures from Epureni, Sâncrăieni, Lupu, Sângeru de Pădure, Solonețu Nou, Bucharest-Herăstrău, Senereuș and Poiana Gorj, according to Historia.ro.

The National Museum of History of Transylvania (MNIT) expresses its profound regret over the serious incident that occurred at the Drents Museum in Assen (Netherlands), where, on the morning of January 25, 2025, part of the Dacian treasure exhibited in the “Dacia! The Kingdom of Gold and Silver” exhibition was stolen. We express our solidarity with our colleagues in the Netherlands and Romania who are working tirelessly to recover these invaluable heritage items.

The exhibition opened to the public last year, in July. The exhibition curated by the National Museum of History of Romania and the Drents Museum includes items from the collections of 18 Romanian museums. The nearly 700 pieces are part of over 50 hoards and constitute the most representative selection of precious metal goods from ancient Dacia discovered so far in Romania. The last day of the exhibition is scheduled for Sunday, January 26.

The National Museum of History of Transylvania (MNIT) also participated in this international exhibition, organized by the National Museum of Romanian History, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, and hosted by the Drents Museum from July 2024 to January 2025.

From MNIT , 24 exceptional items were loaned, including:

  • Two gold diadems from the Sărmășag treasure, dating back to the late Bronze Age.
  • A bracelet and gold necklace elements from the Boarța treasure, Hallstatt period.
  • Three silver fibulae from the Cojocna treasure, La Tène period, and a torque discovered at Sânger, also from the La Tène period.
  • Goldsmith tools and molds from the jewelry workshop at Pecica, La Tène period.
  • A gold engagement ring discovered at Criștești, Roman period.

According to current information, the items loaned from the MNIT collection are not among those stolen during the robbery.

For this project, MNIT worked closely with the National Museum of Romanian History, adhering to all international security standards. The protection systems at the Drents Museum were evaluated as compliant, and the items were covered by a “wall-to-wall” insurance policy, which protects against risks such as transportation, theft, and destruction.

MNIT stands in solidarity with its partners in the Netherlands and Romania in their efforts to recover the stolen cultural assets and continues to collaborate with the authorities and international organizations involved,” said Marcu Felix, Manager of MNIT in a press statement sent to our editorial office.

Assenbraceletsbronze ageCotofenestiDacian helmetDrents MuseumgoldpoliceRomania's Dacian treasureSarmizegetuzasilverstolenthe netherlandstheives
Comments (2)
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  • Panagiotis Spyridis

    Why where they there in the first place? Why to take the risk to showcase them abroad? Come to Romania to see anything you like. This travelling circus method, does not serve any more the promoting your culture . We live in a digital age.

  • Grigore

    The museum’s staff is guilty of the loss. They should be sued.