A large amount of priceless treasure is missing after a group of thieves looted the vault of an iconic German castle in what could be the largest museum heist in history.
The heist occurred early Monday in the Green Vault of the Dresden Castle. The castle houses one of the largest collections of masterpieces in all of Europe, according to CNN. Roland Woeller, a local politician, said the stolen treasure is of “immeasurable value.”
Police believe about 100 artifacts were taken from the vault, which houses a variety of treasures such as crystal bowls, gold and jewel goblets, and gold-covered ostrich eggs. Some of the treasure taken included diamonds and pearls.
“This is an attack on the cultural identity of all Saxons and the state of Saxony,” Woeller said.
Dresden police said the call about the castle break-in came at 4:59 a.m.
“Two suspects were seen on CCTV,” said Dresden police chief criminal director Volker Lange. “The suspects came in through a window, and walked towards a glass vitrine, smashed it and left, they disappeared.”
Police are investigating whether the thieves had insider knowledge of how the vault’s security works.
The director of Dresden’s State Art Collection, Marion Ackermann, said that artifacts stolen dated back to the 1700s and are “incalculable.” She said the value of the treasure stolen would be difficult to gauge as the art is considered unsellable.
Ackermann said guards monitor the treasure 24 hours a day. The vault also has security measures said to be on par with Fort Knox, further adding to the mystery of how the heist was conducted.
The burglary rivals that of the legendary 1990 heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The FBI said the artwork stolen then, which included paintings by Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet, is worth a record $500 million, making it the priciest caper in American history. Nearly three decades since the theft, those responsible are still at large.
The collection of artifacts in the Green Vault was assembled in the early 1700s by Augustus the Strong, who was the ruler of Saxony. The treasure was an attempt to make Dresden a major arts hub in Europe.
