Years after the historic Green Vault heist at a German museum that saw thieves make off with a priceless haul of jewels, many of the stolen treasures are now back on view.
In 2019, thieves infiltrated the Fort Knox–like vault at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) and stole more than 4,300 diamonds that once belonged to the kings of Saxony. While the museum refused to put a price tag on the stolen gemstones, the German newspaper Bild later suggested their combined value reached €1 billion ($1.1 billion), making this burglary the biggest in art history, surpassing even the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft in Boston, which saw the disappearance of 13 Old Master paintings.
“Almost five years after the break-in at the Historic Green Vault, we are now allowed to present the jewels that we recovered in December 2022 to the public for the first time,” Marion Ackermann, the director general of the SKD, said in a statement.
Presentation of the recovered jewels in the Historic Green Vault. Photo: David Pinzer, © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
While the 1990 Gardner Museum theft remains unsolved, a small but significant number of the Green Vault jewels were recovered in 2022 when the thieves, arrested for a different crime, gave up their location as part of a plea deal. Sadly, most of the loot is still missing. This includes the crown jewel, the so-called Dresden White Diamond, a 62-carat cushion-cut diamond purchased by Saxon King Frederick Augustus I (1750–1827).
“We are very grateful to the Dresden Regional Court for approving the relocation of the jewels to their original location,” said Ackermann. “However, they will remain secured for judicial appraisal. The reinstallation of the display case now allows the citizens of Saxony and all interested visitors to experience the Green Vault again in almost all its glory.”
Presentation of the recovered jewels in the Historic Green Vault. Photo: David Pinzer, © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
While some of the jewels were damaged during their time outside the Green Vault, Ackermann said the harm is “barely visible.” She added that the museum assumes “that in principle all damage can be restored” and “an international commission of experts will meet for this purpose after the jewels have been released.”
Presentation of the recovered jewels in the Historic Green Vault. Photo: David Pinzer, © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Ackermann has also addressed the future of the Green Vault’s security services, which—though previously praised as impenetrable—will need to be upgraded to prevent any future theft.
“We cannot undo the break-in,” she said. “But we can ensure that it cannot happen again. The security architecture of the collections and properties entrusted to us, which extends far beyond the sole responsibility of the SKD, has been thoroughly reviewed and appropriate conclusions drawn from this—as usual in close coordination with all the relevant authorities.”