Three prehistoric gold bracelets from archaeological sites in Romania, stolen by unknown authors and later alienated, were brought to the country from Belgium on Tuesday, February 20. The three cultural assets of great value, protected by Romanian and international law, were stolen by unidentified persons and subsequently alienated.
Two of them were identified when offered for sale at a public auction in the Principality of Monaco. The third bracelet was identified during the home search of the residence in Belgium of the person who submitted the two bracelets to the auction house in Monte Carlo with a view to public sale.
To make it possible to return the bracelets to Romania, it was necessary for the Flemish Regional Ministry – the Department of Culture to initiate a declassification procedure (the bracelets being protected by Flemish law as precious artifacts, being entered on a list of heritage assets).
The action to return the bracelets was made possible by excellent judicial cooperation with the investigating judge from the Court of First Instance of Veurne – Belgium and benefited from the support of the Flemish Regional Ministry – Department for Culture, the Romanian Embassy in Brussels and the national member at Eurojust.
The phenomenon of prehistoric and Dacian bracelets of the prehistoric and ancient civilizations once living in Romanian territory is already famous. High-value objects are found abroad and brought to the country.
Dacian gold, famous since the time of the Roman Empire, continues to generate international attention, and the artifacts stolen from the Romanian archeological sites will continue, hopefully, to be brought to the country as soon as possible.
At the time of writing this article, the bracelets are not on display inside the National History Museum, but its administration will undoubtedly do so when it is possible. Until then, you can admire in the permanent exhibitions other objects with huge historical value for what the cultural heritage of the Romanian people means.
