The Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum Heist
On November 25, 2019, several men started a small fire at the Augustus Bridge near the beloved Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum in Dresden, Germany. The fire destroyed a power box, which led to a power outage for the surrounding area.
Source: Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum
The outage disabled the nearby street lights and the museum’s security alarms, allowing the thieves to cut through the iron bars around the window of the museum’s jewelry room.
The World Was Shocked That Burglars Were Able to Infiltrate the Museum
According to the local police, the thieves made their way through an almost unbelievably small hole in the window before using an ax to smash the jewelry case open. They then grabbed $124 million worth of beautiful and historically important jewels and exited back through the hole.
Source: Wikipedia
At the time of the heist, the Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum was considered one of the safest buildings in Europe. Police, visitors, and people worldwide simply couldn’t understand how this had happened.
The Jewels Stolen in the Dresden Heist
While the actual heist was certainly dramatic, what the burglars stole made it an even more notable event both throughout Germany and around the world.
Source: @Jewelry Pleasure/YouTube
The $124 million worth of jewels weren’t just ordinary ornaments; they were 300-year-old irreplaceable treasures commissioned by the former King of Poland.
Augustus II the Strong and His Jewels
Augustus II the Strong was famously the Elector of Saxony before he became the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1733.
Source: Wikipedia
During his time as a world leader, Augustus II the Strong made several exciting and historically significant decisions. Still, for jewelry lovers and art aficionados, one of the best things the former kind ever did was commission the impeccable Dresden collection.
The Famous Dresden Collection
Augustus II the Strong commissioned the collection during his rivalry with France’s King Louis XIV to prove his wealth and prominence, and it did exactly that.
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The Dresden collection includes the diamond hat clasp, which is composed of 15 large diamonds and more than 100 small ones, a diamond epaulette, made up of more than 230 individual diamonds, and a diamond sword and scabbard, which is 38 inches long and weighs more than one pound. As well as many more unique and unforgettable pieces.
The Precious Jewels Survived the Bombings of WWII
The jewels are undoubtedly spectacular in and of themselves; however, they also have a rich and interesting history.
Source: Wikimedia
The collection survived Allied bombing raids during WWII but then was looted by soldiers from the Soviet Union during the fall of Nazi Germany. Fortunately, they were returned to Dresden in 1958 and carefully placed in the Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum for everyone to enjoy.
The Investigation Lasted Several Years
The Dresden police conducted an elaborate and extensive investigation into the heist almost immediately. But it took them several years to find the culprits.
Source: Freepi
Thankfully, even though the power outage disabled the security alarms, the security cameras were not affected. The police were able to see and later identify two men climbing into the museum and take them into custody.
Six Men Were Charged in the Dresden Heist
In January 2022, six men were charged with infiltrating the museum and stealing $124 million worth of precious jewels. The men were all members of the same family. Though their names were not released, the press was informed that their family name began with the letter “R.”
Source: Alamy
Five of the six men were convicted in May 2023, and each received between four and six years in prison for their crimes.
The Dresden Collection Has Been Returned to the Museum
Fortunately, in addition to justice being served, the police were also able to recover almost every piece in the wildly famous collection.
Source: Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum
The gorgeous epaulette is still missing, but the other pieces have been returned to their rightful place within the Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum. However, a few of the jewels were damaged in the drama.
Only an Expert Can See the Damage Done to the Jewels
The Dresden State Museums director general, Marion Ackermann, told the press, “There are certain things that perhaps absolute experts can see; we with the naked eye can actually barely see the damage.”
Source: iStock
They added, “And this damage is mainly due to the fact that they were either broken out during the crime… or improperly stored by the perpetrators after the crime.”
The Heist That Changed the World
The Dresden jewelry heist undoubtedly changed how the Gruenes Gewoelbe Museum protects its precious treasures. But it also had a larger impact around the world.
Source: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The heist was perfectly orchestrated and conducted by expert criminals, but that doesn’t mean other criminals couldn’t perform a similar burglary at another museum. There’s no question that museums around the world will take note of what happened that day in 2019 and make the necessary adjustments to make sure it doesn’t happen to them.