Thieves have stolen three "priceless" ensembles of early 18th century jewellery containing diamonds, rubies and emeralds, German officials have said.

Security camera footage showed two men breaking into the Green Vault museum in Dresden, Saxony, via a grilled window.

They then smashed three display cases before removing the ensembles, or parures, that were kept inside.

Image: The items are of a high value

Image: Some of the stolen items

The alarm sounded just before 5am local time (4am GMT) and officers arrived five minutes later but the burglars had escaped with the haul reported to be worth up to €1bn (£855m).

Volker Lange of Dresden's police force said earlier: "Two suspects can be seen on the recordings, but that doesn't mean there weren't other accomplices."


Museum director Marion Ackerman has described the stolen items as "priceless" and said it would be impossible to sell them on the open market.

When asked whether the jewellery might be broken up or melted down, she replied: "It would be a terrible thing."

She added that it's "cultural value far outstripped any material value".

Her colleague Dirk Syndram said: "We are talking here of objects of immeasurable cultural value.

"It's almost world cultural heritage.

"There is nowhere else a collection of jewellery in this form, quality and quantity."

Image: The Jewel Room contains valuable items inside the Green Vault in Dresden

Image: The Green Vault in Dresden is home to baroque treasures of 'immeasurable worth'

The haul was worth up to €1bn, Bild newspaper reports.

It added that a nearby electricity junction box had been set on fire, cutting the power supply to the whole area before the heist.

Police said the neighbourhood had suffered a power cut but it was unclear if it was linked to the crime.

They were also investigating whether a burned-out car was linked to the raid.

Police have said it is too early to estimate the value of the stolen items, but plan to provide further information over the course of the day.

Image: The items were of cultural significance

Image: The thieves managed to escape with the jewels

The collection was founded in the 18th century by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and later King of Poland, who commissioned ever more brilliant jewellery as part of his rivalry with France's King Louis XIV.

Interior minister Roland Woeller said this "is a bitter day for the cultural heritage of Saxony."

He added that thieves "stole cultural treasures of immeasurable worth - that is not only the material worth but also the intangible worth to the state of Saxony, which is impossible to estimate."

Mr Woeller said police had already set up a special team of investigators to pursue the case, and continued: "We will do everything in our power not only to bring the cultural treasures back, but to capture the perpetrators."

The governor of Saxony said the vault contained items collected over many hundreds of years.

Michael Kretschmer tweeted: "It's not just the state art collections that was robbed, but us Saxons.

"One can't understand the history of Saxony without the Green Vault."

Exhibition rooms at the museum include a focus on treasures featuring jewels, ivory, silver and amber

One of its most famous and precious treasures, the Dresden Green Diamond, is currently on loan with other valuable pieces to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for an exhibit.

The 41-carat green diamond was acquired by Augustus III, the son of Augustus the Strong, in 1742, according to the museum.

Image: Police outside the Green Vault in Dresden

Image: The crown of August II the Strong from 1697 has been on display at the museum in the past

The museum didn't put a current value on the piece, but said at the time of its purchase it cost 400,000 thalers, compared to the 288,000 thalers it cost to build Dresden's lavish Frauenkirche church at around the same time.

Other exhibits in Dresden include a table-sized sculpture of an Indian royal court, made out of gold, silver, enamel, precious stones and pearls.

Another is a 1701 golden coffee service by court jeweller Johann Melchior Dinglinger, decorated with lounging cherubs.