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A priceless ancient golden helmet from Romania that was stolen last year from a museum in the Netherlands has been recovered, Dutch authorities have said.
Under the guard of balaclava-wearing police, prosecutors unveiled the 2,500-year-old Coțofenești helmet during a news conference on Thursday in the eastern Dutch city of Assen.
The helmet, considered a cultural icon of Romania, was on loan to the Drents Museum when it was stolen more than a year ago along with other objects. The theft sent shock waves through the art world.
Earlier on Thursday, the art detective Arthur Brand said: “It’s amazing. It’s the best news we could have got.”
Three men are on trial for the theft but have largely remained silent in court.
Brand said he and police had been working their contacts to persuade the alleged robbers to hand over the helmet in exchange for a more lenient punishment.
“We were pretty sure it had not been melted down because there were only four days between the robbery and the arrests,” Brand said. “It’s a fantastic job by the Dutch police.”
Under huge pressure from Romania, Dutch authorities had made multiple attempts to convince the suspects to tell them where the treasures were stashed. Police offered to halve the sentence of one suspect if he revealed the location of the helmet. An undercover officer posing as a criminal mastermind reportedly offered another suspect €400,000 (£350,000) to tell him where the booty was hidden.
The artefact was taken in January 2025, when a gang of robbers used firework bombs to break into the museum in the northern Netherlands before smashing display cases inside.
They escaped with the golden Helmet of Coțofenești and three gold bracelets.
The theft – and subsequent search – made regular headlines in the Netherlands and led to outrage in Romania, where the items are regarded as national treasures.
The Dutch government had set aside €5.7m for a potential payout after the theft.
Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
