A stop on the cultural heritage of Saxony, called it Michael Kretschmer. Nothing less. The art collection in the “Green vault” was a part of the Saxon identity, said the Prime Minister. You cannot understand this country without this collection, which was developed over the centuries. Therefore, not only the Saxon art collections were robbed, “but the Saxons as a whole”. Marion Ackermann, Director of collections, said: “I don’t need to tell you how shocked we are. Even the brutality of the break-in.”

Shortly before five o’clock in the morning two of the perpetrators were the castle into the residence and into the “Green vault” penetrated by destroyed a wrought-iron grille, and several Windows were smashed in. In the so-called jewel of the room is smashed with an axe, a High-Tech showcase, robbing it of 100 pieces of jewelry and left the same way back to the house. When the police arrived five minutes after the Alarm, the robbers already. A short time later burned in Dresden, a car ablaze, probably the first flight vehicle.

Video live

Two unarmed security guards of the Museum, they saw the burglars on Video live, how this stole the jewelry. In accordance with the internal directives, they were not allowed to intervene itself, but had to call the police. Director Ackermann called the safety precautions in the “Green vault” “on the border of what is technically and humanly possible”. Your predecessor had compared the safety with a “Fort Knox”, “just invisible”.

Although strong security forces locked immediately climbs all the Dresden car track and a large manhunt ensued, the robbers escape. Reinforced controls at the border to Poland and the Czech Republic showed similarly, results of investigation in the Milieu of criminal Clans in Berlin.

The precious stone jewelry in the “Green vault” is considered to be the richest jewel in the treasure of Europe. Fortunately for the Museum, the thieves robbed showcases only the contents of one of the four jewels. Three out of a total of ten sets are missing. The jewelry ensembles are all from the 18th century. Century, consist of a total of 95 chains, tires, Tiaras, rings, brooches, clasps, and are studded with brilliant-cut diamonds, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and pearls.

“Inestimable value”

In the case of the stolen pieces was “a kind of world cultural heritage,” said Dirk Syndram, Director of the “Green vault”. “There is nowhere in Europe, gem sets, which remained in this Form, quality and quantity as a Royal Ensembles are given.” Ackermann, as Syndram refused to quantify the financial value of the Diebesguts.

For such world-renowned pieces of jewelry, there is no market, that’s why they are priceless and not for sale. “In any case, the pure material value is in no comparison to the cultural and art-historical value,” says Ackermann. Of course, you fear that the robbers to leave the ensemble, the stones new grind and make money could. “That would be a total loss.”

Marcus Becker, art historian of the Humboldt University in Berlin, called the stolen jewels “unique”. In advertising apply diamonds as “forever”. Historically, under the jewelry fashions but and was highly ephemeral: “stones are umgeschliffen or restated, the metals melted down and re-used.” That is why it is so important that the sets in the “Green vault” would look the same today as they like during their manufacture to 1700.

August the Strong (1670-1733) was then in Saxony, when elector, from 1697 as king of Poland and Lithuania. As one of the most powerful Mona that time, king of Riva, he plated with the French “sun king” Louis XIV, In competition with Versailles, he built Dresden Baroque “Florence on the Elbe”, and rivaled the most splendid of feasts, and costumes. Jewelry played an important role in the princely representation as to the splendor in front of a sophisticated audience. August the Strong was also, opened the 1547 as a Treasury, built “Green vault” between 1723 and 1729 to a “chamber of wonder” advanced, and the audience. The nine rooms on the ground floor of the residence castle count today, therefore, one of the oldest museums in the world.

ever Been robbed

The bombing of Dresden in 1945, were also the three spaces of the “Green vault” is destroyed, the 4000 pieces of jewelry were outsourced already in the fortress Königstein. At the end of the Second world war, the Saxon state treasure was taken away in the Soviet Union, in 1958, but a decision by the Communist rulers of the GDR returned. From 1959 to 2004, he was seen in the Dresden “Albertinum” to. In 2006, he returned to the renovated “Green vault”.

Created: 25.11.2019, 18:35 PM