Around 2,000 gold and silver coins, valued at approximately 90,000 euros (£78,000; $104,000), were taken during a robbery at a museum in Landres, northeastern France. This incident occurred on a Sunday night at the Maison des Lumières, a museum dedicated to philosopher Denis Diderot. The theft was discovered when staff returned on Tuesday and found a display case shattered.
This robbery follows several other high-profile thefts at cultural institutions in France. Earlier in September, two Chinese porcelain dishes and a vase, worth an estimated €6.55 million, were stolen from the national porcelain museum in Limoges. The stolen items are still unaccounted for, and no arrests have been made. A ceramics expert noted that these pieces would be difficult to sell on the art market due to their traceability.
A particularly notable event was a heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where thieves disguised as workers stole historic jewelry worth €88 million. This crime involved the use of power tools and a mechanical ladder to access the Gallery of Apollo shortly after the museum opened. Among the stolen items was a necklace given to Emperor Napoleon’s wife and other notable pieces owned by historical figures.
Concerns have arisen regarding security at these institutions in light of recent events. The director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, reported that the museum’s perimeter CCTV was inadequate, particularly at the location of the break-in, stating that one in three rooms lacked surveillance. Following the Louvre heist, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin emphasized the failures in security protocols and the negative impact on France’s image. Reports indicate that a previous theft at the French Natural History Museum was facilitated by disabled alarm systems due to a cyber-attack.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwvzxnzjzzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss