Armed robbery at Lalique Museum in Bas-Rhin, losses are colossal
Masked perpetrators broke into the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder on Sunday at dawn to steal unique creations from the renowned glassmaker.
Armed robbery at Lalique Museum in Bas-Rhin, losses are colossal
The Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder, in Bas-Rhin, was broken into during the night from Saturday to Sunday. At around 6:10 am, perpetrators with concealed faces forced entry through the main entrance of the establishment before destroying six glass display cases, the gendarmerie informed franceinfo.
The haul is valued at a considerable sum, running into millions of euros, according to a person close to the case cited by franceinfo. The stolen objects consist of jewellery and ornaments designed by renowned artisan René Lalique. The venue, which houses nearly 650 creations by this artist, announced that it would remain inaccessible to the public for some time in order to ensure optimal security conditions upon reopening.
The investigation is being conducted by the gendarmerie and has been transferred to the Strasbourg research unit. Christian Dorschner, mayor of the commune and vice-president of the cultural institution, insisted on the invaluable worth of the missing pieces. "We are talking about a heritage that has been removed, a heritage belonging to France's museums, which Lalique shaped in the early twentieth century. These are objects without equivalent, created at the time in his Paris jewellery workshop, works that it is impossible to sell on the market," he explained to ICI Alsace.
The mayor also expressed surprise at the response of the remote surveillance company employed by the museum. "All alert systems were operational, the cameras were functioning, everything was activated," he stated.
Source: franceinfo
Source: France Info