Over 100 Pieces of Priceless Jewellery Stolen From Dresden Museum
By Jodie Costello
Over $1 Billion dollars’ worth of jewels have been stolen from the Dresden Museum in a heist being proclaimed as the largest since World War II.
The Monday morning event is understood to have been triggered by a fire at an electrical grid nearby, which momentarily disabled the museum’s alarm and switched off all lighting. Though CCTV caught two men breaking into the Green Vault within Dresden’s Royal Palace, the proximity to the autobahn is believed to have aided the two men in escaping in less than 5 minutes. The security of the museum has faced backlash online, after released footage showed the men smashing a window and clipping a fence to gain access.
Figure 1: Breast Star of the Polish White Eagle Order stolen from the Green Vault. Photo courtesy of Daily Mail.
Marion Ackermann, the director of Dresden’s state art collections, states that, ‘we cannot give a value because it is impossible to sell,’ when asked how much the jewellery amounts to. Included within the stolen pieces are three ‘priceless’ collections of diamonds, commissioned by Augustus the Strong during the 18th century. No arrests have been made and both suspects are still on the run. Officials are urging for the jewellery not to be broken apart and melted down, and are hoping that by the story breaking international news, it will put off any potential buyers.
Currently, it is feared that the suspects may have either worked for the gallery or had insider knowledge due to the security system being compared to that of Fort Knox. However, it seems unlikely. Pressure is now being placed on the security guards, who instead of pushing the panic button, waited and called the police. Burglars escaped in an Audi A6 that was found burned-out nearby. The amount of jewellery that the suspects managed to leave with is currently unknown, however, the number is thought to exceed 100 individual pieces.
Figure 2: Tape covering the door of the Dresden Museum. Photo courtesy of Daily Mail.
To make matters considerably worse for the museum, it was announced by the Finance
Ministry that a diamond-encrusted dagger, a chain of 177 saxon pearls, and dozens of other pieces were uninsured. It has been stated that insurance would not work on such specific items, as the premiums were higher than the potential cost of damages. Julia Ries, of the insurer Ergo Group AG, states that insurance is not typically taken out for permanent collections, and thus if the jewels are lost, they will be lost forever.
However, some jewellery did remain due to it being stitched into the fabric of the display case. The museum’s most prized possession, the 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond, is currently on loan to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, avoiding theft.
It is unknown what the next steps forward are for Dresden Museum. Potential connections have been made to a Berlin heist in 2017, where a 24-carat gold coin was stolen from the Bode Museum. Though the coin has never been located, four men were arrested and are currently on trial. Dirk Syndram, the Green Vault director, asserted that splitting the stones would be ‘stupid,’ as ‘they’re all 18th century cuts. You can’t just turn these stones into cash.’
Currently, the robbery at Dresden has been proclaimed as the biggest heist in art history to date.
Bibliography
Stefan Nicola, After $1 billion theft, German museum finds it has no insurance, Bloomberg, accessed: 28 November, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-26/-1-billion-in-jewels-two-thieves-no-insurance.
Agencies in Berlin, Dresden museum heist: police release dramatic CCTV footage of suspect, The Guardian, accessed: 28 November, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/26/dresden-art-heist-police-release-dramatic-cctv-footage-of-suspect.
Tim Stickings, World’s biggest heist could have been an inside job, investigators fear, as German museum staff reveal the burglars took less than was originally thought, Daily Mail Online, accessed: 28 November, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7726263/Diamond-jewellery-stolen-German-museum-not-insured.html.
Caroline Delbert, How thieves just pulled off the largest treasure heist since World War II, Popular Mechanics, accessed: 28 November, https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a29963272/massive-art-heist-dresden/.