Priceless items stolen from Dresden's Green Vault museum German media reported losses could run into hundreds of millions

(ANSA-AP) - BERLIN, 25 NOV - Thieves have carried out a heist at Dresden's Green Vault, one of the world's oldest museum containing priceless treasures and jewels, making off with treasures of "immeasurable worth," German officials said Monday.



The treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony was established in 1723 and today contains around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials on display in the historic palace. The governor of Saxony, where Dresden is located, said the vault contained items collected over many hundreds of years.



"It's not just the State Art Collections that was robbed, but us Saxons," Michael Kretschmer tweeted. "One can't understand the history of Saxony without the Green Vault." Multiple burglars forced their way into the building in the early morning hours, and authorities were still trying to assess the losses, Interior Minister Roland Woeller told reporters.



"This is a bitter day for the cultural heritage of Saxony," he said. The 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." German media reported the losses from the early-morning burglary could run into the high hundreds of millions of euros.



(ANSA-AP).





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