In another blow to France’s cultural heritage, around 2,000 gold and silver coins — valued at approximately €90,000 ($104,000) — were stolen from a museum in northeastern France, just hours after the daring theft of crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris.
The burglary occurred at the Maison des Lumières, a museum dedicated to philosopher Denis Diderot in Landres. Staff discovered a smashed display case when they opened the museum on Tuesday and quickly alerted authorities. According to local officials, the thieves demonstrated “great expertise” in choosing which coins to take.
The stolen collection, consisting of coins dating from 1790 to 1840, had been part of the city’s private holdings since their discovery during renovation work in 2011. The theft marks yet another in a series of high-profile heists targeting France’s museums.
In recent months, criminals have made off with six gold nuggets worth about €1.5 million from the Natural History Museum in Paris, and rare Chinese porcelain valued at €6.55 million from the Limoges Porcelain Museum — none of which have been recovered. A Chinese national was arrested in Barcelona in connection with the gold theft after allegedly trying to sell melted-down pieces.
Experts warn that such stolen artifacts are nearly impossible to sell legally, as they are too well documented. Yet the growing number of break-ins has raised major concerns about lax security across French museums.
The most audacious case remains the €88 million daylight robbery at the Louvre, where thieves disguised as workers used power tools and a mechanical ladder to steal historic jewels once owned by Napoleon’s family. Louvre director Laurence des Cars admitted to “failing these jewels,” citing outdated surveillance systems and blind spots in the museum’s CCTV coverage.
With art detectives warning of possible copycat crimes, France’s cultural institutions are under mounting pressure to strengthen security before more treasures disappear.
