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| Priceless 18th-century jewellery taken in Dresden Green Vault heist | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| German police say thieves on the run after raid at historic Green Vault inside royal palace | German police say thieves on the run after raid at historic Green Vault inside royal palace |
| Thieves have broken into one of Europe’s largest collection of art treasures in the German city of Dresden and stolen objects worth up to one billion euros, police have said. | Thieves have broken into one of Europe’s largest collection of art treasures in the German city of Dresden and stolen objects worth up to one billion euros, police have said. |
| The Grüne Gewölbe (or Green Vault) has been stripped of hundreds of artefacts, after the thieves reportedly started a fire in the early hours of Monday that led to a breakdown in the power supply and the failure of security alarms. | The Grüne Gewölbe (or Green Vault) has been stripped of hundreds of artefacts, after the thieves reportedly started a fire in the early hours of Monday that led to a breakdown in the power supply and the failure of security alarms. |
| Police are calling the break-in the largest art heist in postwar history. | Police are calling the break-in the largest art heist in postwar history. |
| The Grüne Gewölbe’s most famous artefact is Augustus the Strong’s treasure chamber. It was not known whether it had been broken into. | The Grüne Gewölbe’s most famous artefact is Augustus the Strong’s treasure chamber. It was not known whether it had been broken into. |
| A police spokesman said on Monday morning: “We can confirm that there has been a break-in in the Grüne Gewölbe … the perpetrators are on the run.” | A police spokesman said on Monday morning: “We can confirm that there has been a break-in in the Grüne Gewölbe … the perpetrators are on the run.” |
| The director of Dresden’s State Art Collections, Marion Ackermann, said it was impossible to estimate the value of the items. | |
| “We cannot give a value because it is impossible to sell,” she said, appealing to the thieves not to break the ensembles into pieces. “The material value doesn’t reflect the historic meaning.” | |
| According to the tabloid Bild, the thieves appear to have targeted the jewellery collection in the gallery, entering the building via a small corner window. | According to the tabloid Bild, the thieves appear to have targeted the jewellery collection in the gallery, entering the building via a small corner window. |
| Michael Kretschmer, the leader of Saxony, of which Dresden is the capital, said he was devastated by the losses. “Not only the gallery has been robbed, but also the Saxonians,” he said. | Michael Kretschmer, the leader of Saxony, of which Dresden is the capital, said he was devastated by the losses. “Not only the gallery has been robbed, but also the Saxonians,” he said. |
| He was heading to the Grüne Gewölbe to assess the damage for himself, and did not know which treasures had been seized, he said. But he added: “The treasures one can find there, as well as in the Residence Palace, have been collected by the people of Saxony over many centuries and are hard-won treasures. | He was heading to the Grüne Gewölbe to assess the damage for himself, and did not know which treasures had been seized, he said. But he added: “The treasures one can find there, as well as in the Residence Palace, have been collected by the people of Saxony over many centuries and are hard-won treasures. |
| “You cannot understand the history of our country, or the free state of Saxony without the Grüne Gewölbe and the state art collections of Saxony”. | “You cannot understand the history of our country, or the free state of Saxony without the Grüne Gewölbe and the state art collections of Saxony”. |
| The Grüne Gewölbe alone consists of 10 rooms teeming with about 3,000 items of jewellery and other recognised masterpieces. The building was heavily damaged during the second world war but has been successfully restored, reopening to great international fanfare in 2006. It has been a tourist magnet since 1724 when it first opened to the public. | The Grüne Gewölbe alone consists of 10 rooms teeming with about 3,000 items of jewellery and other recognised masterpieces. The building was heavily damaged during the second world war but has been successfully restored, reopening to great international fanfare in 2006. It has been a tourist magnet since 1724 when it first opened to the public. |
| Treasures in the museum include a 63.8-centimetre figure of a Moor studded with emeralds and a 547.71-carat sapphire. One of its most famous and precious treasures, the Dresden Green Diamond, is currently on loan with other valuable pieces to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for an exhibit. | Treasures in the museum include a 63.8-centimetre figure of a Moor studded with emeralds and a 547.71-carat sapphire. One of its most famous and precious treasures, the Dresden Green Diamond, is currently on loan with other valuable pieces to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for an exhibit. |
| Saxony’s interior minister, Roland Wöller, told reporters that multiple burglars forced their way into the building in the early morning hours. | |
| “This is a bitter day for the cultural heritage of Saxony, he said. “The thieves stole cultural treasures of immeasurable worth – that is not only the material worth but also the intangible worth to the state of Saxony, which is impossible to estimate. | |
| Wöller said police had already set up a special team of investigators to pursue the case. “We will do everything in our power not only to bring the cultural treasures back, but to capture the perpetrators, he said. | |
| The theft is the second high-profile heist in Germany in recent years, after a 100kg, 24-carat giant gold coin was stolen from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017. | The theft is the second high-profile heist in Germany in recent years, after a 100kg, 24-carat giant gold coin was stolen from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017. |