The collection of gold and silver artifacts from 18 local museums has returned to Romania after being displayed in the exhibition Dacia! Empire of Gold and Silver hosted by the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands. The exhibition, which ran from July 7, 2024, to January 26, 2025, attracted 84,336 visitors, marking three decades since the first Romanian archaeology exhibition in a Dutch museum, the National History Museum of Romania (MNIR) said.

However, the famous golden Helmet of Coțofenești (c.a. 450 BC) and the three Dacian bracelets stolen from the Drents Museum on the morning of January 25 are still missing.

The project was organized by the MNIR in partnership with museums from across the country, including institutions from Cluj-Napoca, Buzău, Sfântu Gheorghe, Vaslui, Brașov, Oltenița, Bacău, Neamț, Bucharest, Oradea, Alba Iulia, Mureș, Suceava, Bistrița Năsăud, Ialomița, Timișoara, and Argeș.

Over the past decade, the National History Museum of Romania has been involved in numerous international exhibitions, showcasing Romanian heritage in France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hungary, the United States, Canada, and China.

“The National History Museum of Romania has been a key part of Romania’s public and cultural diplomacy strategy over the past decade, showcasing invaluable cultural artifacts in major European museums, making Romania’s history and culture visible worldwide, and bringing together dozens of museums from across the country to promote them internationally. The participation of Romania’s historical treasures in exhibitions across Europe, as well as in the United States, Canada, and China, has increased visibility, improved the country’s image, and placed Romania’s history and civilization on the global cultural map,” MNIR said.

Four archaeological masterpieces, namely the Coțofenești Helmet and three Dacian bracelets, were stolen from the Drents Museum in the early hours of January 25, the day before the exhibition was scheduled to end. Thieves used explosives to blow up the wall and steal the gold artifacts.

Three suspects were arrested last week in North Holland, and the Dutch police released the names and photographs of two of them, as they hope to obtain more information about where they have been and who they have been in contact with after the art theft.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: MNIR)