(When Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre
When Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre
When Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre
Thieves have broken into Pariss Natural History Museummaking off with gold samples worth $700,000 in the latest of a worrying series of robberies from cultural institutionsaccording to the museum.
Famed for its dinosaur skeletons and stuffed animalsthe National Natural History Museum in the chic 5th district of the French capital also houses a geology and mineralogy gallery.
A break-in was detected on Tuesday morningwith the intruders reportedly using an angle grinder and a blow torch to force their way into the river-side complex that is popular with Parisians and tourists.
The theft concerns several specimens of native gold from the national collections held by the museumthe museums press office told AFP late on Tuesday.
While the stolen specimens are valued at around 600,000 euros based on the price of raw goldthey nevertheless carry an immeasurable heritage valueit added.
Native gold is a metal alloy containing gold and silver in their naturalunrefined form.
An unnamed police source told the Parisien newspaper that the museums alarm and surveillance systems had been disabled by a cyberattack in Julywith the thieves seemingly aware of the vulnerability.
This incident comes at a critical time for cultural institutions and museums in particularSeveral public collections have indeed been targeted by thefts in recent monthsthe museum added.
A picture taken on March 162016 shows a sculpture of French artist Quentin Garel during the exhibition entitled Le Magicien dOs at the Natural history Museum in ParisKENZO TRIBOUILLARD AFP via Getty Images
It did not elaborate on the other robberiesbut the Adrien Dubouche National Museum in Limoges in central France is known to have suffered a break-in earlier this month.
Thieves stole two dishes and a vase in Chinese porcelain classed as national treasureswith the losses estimated at 6.5 million eurosThe museum holds around 18,000 works including the largest public collection of Limoges porcelain in the worldaccording to its website.
Last Novemberfour men with axes and baseball bats smashed the display cases in broad daylight at the Cognacq-Jay museum in Parismaking off with several 18th-century worksThat heist resulted in an insurance payment of over $4 million to the Royal Collection TrustBBC News reported.
The next dayjewelry valued at several million euros was stolen during an armed robbery at a museum in Saone-et-Loire in central France.
In May 2024armed robbers hit a jewelry store on one of Parisposhest streetsand media reports said the target was the exclusive Harry Winston boutiqueself-described Jeweler to the Stars,
