Director of the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR) Erwin Kessler confirmed on Thursday that the Cotofenesti helmet, stolen last year from the Drents Museum in Assen, was recovered.
'The Poiana Cotofenesti helmet has been found. This is a good piece of news for all of us because, as others have said, it represents a point of our modernity, as archaeology, art and visual culture are key identity markers,' said Erwin Kessler at the opening of the exhibition '160 years since the founding of the Royal House of Romania.'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that 'Dutch authorities have informed the Romanian side of developments in this case and the Dutch prosecutor will hold a press conference at 14:00 (15:00 Romanian time).'
The Poiana Cotofenesti helmet and three gold bracelets were displayed last year at the Drents Museum in Assen as part of the exhibition 'Dacia - Land of Gold and Silver.' A few days before the exhibition closed and the items were to be returned to the National History Museum in Bucharest, which had loaned them to the Drents Museum, three men stole the four Romanian artefacts. Several people were arrested in the months following the theft.
In September 2025, the Ministry of Culture announced that it had received 5.7 million euros in insurance compensation for the four stolen cultural items from the Drents Museum.
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