Armed robbery at Lalique Museum: jewels worth 4.5 million euros stolen
Three criminals broke into the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder during the night of Sunday and made off with 27 pieces of jewellery estimated at more than 4.5 million euros.
Armed robbery at Lalique Museum: jewels worth 4.5 million euros stolen
Three hooded and gloved individuals entered the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder, a small Alsatian village of 1,500 inhabitants located approximately 60 kilometres north-west of Strasbourg, during the night of Sunday at around 5.25am. The burglars forced open an emergency exit and then a fire door to gain access to the main exhibition hall, according to the prosecutor of Saverne, François Antona, cited by the AFP news agency.
Armed with sledgehammers and hammers, the thieves smashed six display cases in minutes and took 27 pieces of jewellery. The damage is provisionally valued at more than 4.5 million euros, equivalent to approximately 109 million Czech crowns. The Saverne public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for "theft committed by an organised group", in which the central office for combating the trafficking of cultural goods will also participate.
The alarm was triggered during the burglary, but the security guard failed to react in time. It was a cleaner, who arrived at the scene first, who alerted the gendarmes, according to a source close to the investigation speaking to AFP. The mayor of the commune, Christian Dorschner, expressed dismay to the local press over this clear failure of the security service, which failed to respond to the alarm or notify the forces of law and order.
The museum, which opened in 2011 with a surface area of 900 square metres, displays more than 650 works by René Lalique (1860–1945), a French jeweller, glassmaker and Art Nouveau designer, including jewellery, glassware and crystal in the Art Deco style. Lalique became known for his use, besides precious stones, of glass, enamel, horn, ivory and semi-precious stones. A factory of the same name has existed in the commune since 1921.
Following this theft, the establishment announced that it would remain closed for several days for security reasons. The Lalique Museum had been regarded as a "sensitive site" and had received "special attention" since the spectacular theft of crown jewels worth 88 million euros committed at the Louvre Museum in Paris in October 2025. "Protection measures did exist, but they were clearly not sufficient," added the source cited by AFP.
Source: Aktuálně.cz