Lalique Museum burglary: Masked thieves steal jewellery worth millions in France’s second major heist in months
This photograph shows the logo of French luxury crystal manufacturer Lalique displayed on the facade of the group's factory in Wingen-sur-Moder, eastern France. Photograph: (AFP)
Masked thieves broke into France’s Lalique Museum and stole jewellery worth millions in a swift early-morning raid, marking the country’s second major museum heist in recent months.
Just months after a brazen heist at Paris’s iconic Louvre Museum, another museum in France was looted of its jewels on Sunday (Jul 5). In a burglary, jewellery worth millions of euros was stolen from the luxury glassmaker Lalique. Reportedly, a group of masked thieves broke into the museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in the northeastern part of the country around 5:30 am and smashed open six display cases before making off with the valuables.
“Around twenty pieces of jewellery were stolen. The loss is currently being assessed but could amount to several million euros, likely close to four million,” AFP reported, citing a source close to the investigation.
“An alarm went off, but by the time the security company had completed its checks, it was a cleaning lady who arrived first on the scene and called the police,” the source added.
A second source told the news agency that the stolen jewellery was crystal, without precious gems, and could not be melted down. The investigators are examining the CCTV footage.
The museum confirmed the incident, saying that it will remain closed for several days. “Following a burglary, the Lalique Museum will be closed for several days. Thank you for your understanding,” it said on its website.
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The Musée Lalique, dedicated to Art Nouveau and Art Deco jeweller and glassmaker René Lalique, was opened in 2011 near the company’s original factory. According to its website, the museum showcases more than 650 “exceptional works”, including Art Nouveau jewellery, Art Deco glass pieces, and contemporary crystal creations.
‘Major failure’
According to newspaper Les Dernieres nouvelles d’Alsace (DNA), the mayor of Wingen-sur-Moder, a town of about 1,500 residents about 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Strasbourg, was angry about the burglary.
“All the alarms went off, just as they should. And then with the security company, apparently, there was a major failure on their part: they didn't intervene right away, they didn’t inform the gendarmes,” Christian Dorschner was quoted as saying.
“They were surely well informed to carry out this job in that way; they must be ... specialists,” the mayor added.
The burglary comes after the daring heist at the Louvre museum in Paris in October last year, which put security at French museums and galleries under scrutiny. In the daytime robbery, thieves made off with $102 million worth of jewellery, including some of the old French crown jewels, in less than eight minutes.
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