Stolen jewels returned to the Green Vault
With a spectacular heist, criminals steal valuable jewelry from the Green Vault. Five years later, the jewels are back. Three prominent pieces with large stones remain missing.
The jewels stolen from the Historic Green Vault in Dresden nearly five years ago and later returned are back in Saxony's treasure chamber museum. The Saxon State Art Collections (SKD) are displaying them unrestored, in the condition the thieves returned them in December 2022.
"We are thrilled and very grateful, today is a beautiful day for us," said Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer, also on behalf of Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch (both CDU), at the presentation. SKD General Director Marion Ackermann spoke of a "particularly beautiful moment," giving the public the "opportunity to examine" them.
In the special light of their jewelry vitrine, the jewelry pieces sparkle like the others that didn't fall into the thieves' hands. Only upon close inspection are damages visible. "We currently assume that all pieces are restorable," said Ackermann. The concept for this is being developed with international experts. However, they are still evidence pieces in ongoing criminal proceedings related to the case that also made international headlines.
Extended Opening Hours
Starting Wednesday, visitors can view them, and starting Thursday, opening hours are extended until 8:00 PM. Access to the reconstructed rooms on the ground floor of the Residenzschloss is only possible with time-tickets - the SKD are giving away 1,000 free tickets online starting immediately.
The art theft on November 25, 2019, is considered one of the most spectacular in Germany. The perpetrators looted 21 unique historical jewelry pieces made of diamonds and rubies, causing over one million euros in damage. Five young men from the Remmo clan were sentenced to prison terms by the Dresden Regional Court in May 2023 for theft, as well as arson of a getaway car in the underground garage of a residential building and a power distributor.
At the end of the evidence proceedings, they handed over the majority of the loot through their lawyers - but three prominent pieces with large stones remain missing. Kretschmer and Ackermann hope that they too will one day return and be displayed in their original place.
The return of the stolen jewelry, although most pieces have been recovered, leaves three prominent ones with large stones still missing, hinting at an ongoing criminal investigation related to the heist. The evidence pieces, now displayed in the Saxony's treasure chamber museum, continue to generate interest, as visitors flock to view them during the extended opening hours.
