ASSEN, Netherlands — Dutch law enforcement officials have successfully retrieved an invaluable 2,500-year-old golden helmet from Romania that was taken from a Netherlands museum earlier this year, authorities revealed Thursday.
During a press briefing in the eastern Dutch city of Assen, prosecutors displayed the recovered Cotofenesti helmet, a treasured artifact from Romania’s ancient Dacia civilization, while surrounded by heavily armed officers wearing masks.
“We are incredibly pleased,” Corien Fahner of the prosecution service told reporters. “It has been a roller-coaster. Especially for Romania, but also for employees of the Drents Museum.”
The ancient artifact was being exhibited at the small museum in January 2025 during the final weekend of a six-month display when criminals broke into the facility and stole it along with three golden armbands.
Concerns arose that the helmet might have been destroyed for its gold content since its distinctive appearance and notoriety would have made selling it nearly impossible.
Authorities also retrieved two of the three stolen armbands as part of negotiations with three suspects who were apprehended shortly after the crime. These individuals will face trial beginning in April.
Fahner indicated that efforts to locate the final missing armband will continue.
The helmet sustained some damage during its time away from the museum.
“The helmet is slightly dented, but there will be no permanent damage,” Drents Museum director Robert van Langh said during the news conference. “The armbands are in perfect condition.”
The criminals employed a makeshift explosive device and sledgehammer to force entry into the museum. Surveillance footage released by police following the incident showed three individuals prying open a museum entrance with a large crowbar before an explosion occurred.
The crime created diplomatic tensions between the Netherlands and Romania.
Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu last year called the incident a “crime against our state” and said recovering the artifacts “is an absolute priority.”
