There was no champagne or cake on Thursday, but there was a lot of joy at the National History Museum in Bucharest. Curator Andrei Grumeza’s good mood can be heard over the telephone. “We are all very relieved, happy and grateful.”
Grumeza was involved as a curator and researcher in the exhibition on Dacian culture that was on display from July 2024 to January 2025 in the Drents Museum in Assen. On the last weekend, Cotofenesti’s golden helmet was stolen in a violent robbery, as were three Dacian bracelets.
On Thursday morning, staff at the Romanian National Museum, home to the stolen art treasures, heard from local journalists that the art treasures had been recovered. They had seen it in Dutch media. The museum was not informed in advance by the Romanian authorities. Grumeza: “It was a total surprise, I found it hard to believe.”
One of the bracelets is still missing. The rest was presented in Assen on Thursday, with heavily armed officers next to the display case. Lawyers for the three suspects from Heerhugowaard have mediated in the return, in exchange for unknown trial arrangements. The Public Prosecution Service will announce details about this during the substantive hearing of the lawsuit, starting from April 14.
From the moment the press conference in Assen was announced, Thursday at eleven o’clock local time, there was hardly anything else on Romanian TV. The golden helmet of Cotofenesti, probably from the fifth century BC and found by children in the 1920s, is considered an invaluable national heritage in Romania.
No more blame
President Nicusor Dan emphasized the national interest on X: “The national heritage is part of our historical identity and protecting it is more than a cultural act: it means protecting symbols that define us, that have a strong impact on the whole society and that represent the legacy of future generations.”
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Eurojust, the EU agency for criminal justice cooperation, coordinated the cooperation between the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and the Romanian justice and investigative services. After the find, Romanian administrators express their satisfaction with the cooperation with the Dutch authorities. There are no longer any accusations about inadequate security in the Drents Museum, as there were after the theft.
President Dan, on the other hand, lectured his compatriots: “The Romanian authorities have a responsibility to deal much more carefully in the future with objects of exceptional historical and cultural importance for the Romanian heritage, through stricter and properly applied rules.” After the robbery, there was a lot of criticism in Romania about the allegedly flexible conditions for lending art to foreign museums. The museum director had to resign.
Oana Toiu, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that Romania will repay the compensation of 5.85 million euros received through insurers to the Netherlands, minus the costs of restoration of the slightly damaged helmet and the compensation for the missing bracelet. There is a suggestion in Romanian media that the still missing bracelet is used by the perpetrators as a means of pressure to ensure that the justice department complies with the agreements and that he will still appear.
Better get a car next time
Alex van Breemen, a Dutch real estate entrepreneur who has lived in Romania for decades, offered a reward of 250,000 euros for the tip that would lead to the return of the art treasures. There is no question of payment, says Van Breemen from Bucharest, because from the beginning it was a condition for him that the perpetrators would not run away with the reward. Van Breemen: “First of all: what fantastic news. The fact that that one bracelet is not yet available is not so bad, there are more of them. It’s about the helmet.”
My gut feeling is they won’t do this again
Does Van Breemen think it is a shame that the perpetrators have probably made a deal with the Public Prosecution Service; information about the location in exchange for a reduced sentence? “No. Suppose they now have to serve one year instead of two years. Or maybe they will be released immediately, because of the pre-trial detention. That doesn’t matter. My feeling says that they will not do this again, that they know that this was a very stupid action and that they would be better off stealing a car next time.”
According to the Romanian minister of Culture András Demeter, Romanian and Dutch experts will examine the treasures in the Netherlands before returning to Romania. It is still unknown where and by whom the restoration will be carried out. The damage to the helmet is in a place that was previously damaged – after the original discovery, it was first used as a drinking trough for chickens.
Conservator Grumeza is not concerned about the new damage. He saw photos and a video that his Dutch colleague sent, it looks good. He looks forward to the return of the treasures to the National History Museum, something that will undoubtedly be celebrated in Romania with a lot of attention from politicians and the media. Grumeza: “The helmet returns to its own display case, that is its natural place.”
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