- Thieves stole nearly 2,000 gold and silver coins from the Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment in Langres (Oct. 20), following a €88 million Louvre jewelry heist (Oct. 19) and other recent robberies, raising concerns about France’s ability to protect its cultural heritage.
- The Langres theft was premeditated, with thieves selectively taking valuables while leaving other artifacts untouched. The Louvre robbery involved masked thieves scaling the museum’s façade with a truck-mounted ladder before smashing cases and escaping on scooters.
- Opposition figures, including National Rally’s Jordan Bardella, condemned the Louvre heist as a national humiliation, blaming lax security and politically motivated appointments (e.g., Louvre security chief Dominique Buffin accused of being selected for diversity over expertise).
- Investigators are probing connections between the heists, noting similarities in tactics and targets. Experts suggest thieves are exploiting outdated security in historic buildings not designed for modern protection.
- Experts warn that France’s museums, many housed in non-specialized historic buildings, lack advanced security systems – making them vulnerable to further thefts. Authorities are scrambling to recover stolen artifacts amid calls for urgent security upgrades.
In what appears to be a calculated assault on France’s cultural treasures, thieves struck yet another museum on Monday, Oct. 20 – making off with nearly 2,000 gold and silver coins from the Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment in Langres.
The latest heist reported Wednesday, Oct. 22, comes just a day after a brazen daylight robbery at the Louvre netted €88 million ($102.05 million) in Napoleonic jewelry. It adds to a growing list of high-profile museum thefts plaguing France since September, raising urgent questions about the nation’s ability to safeguard its heritage amid accusations of lax security and politically motivated mismanagement.
The stolen coins dating from the 18th and 19th centuries were part of a prized collection unearthed during construction work in 2011. Authorities described the Langres break-in as premeditated, with thieves selectively targeting valuables while leaving other artifacts untouched – a hallmark of professional operations. The museum, housed in a historic 16th-century mansion, had no overnight security – prompting local officials to hire private guards while upgrading surveillance systems.
This latest theft follows a string of similar incidents, including an Oct. 16 robbery of €1.5 million ($1.74 million) in gold nuggets from Paris’ Natural History Museum and the recent Louvre heist that happened Sunday, Oct. 20. Masked thieves scaled the museum’s façade Sunday morning with a truck-mounted ladder before smashing display cases and escaping on scooters.
The audacity of the Louvre robbery – executed in broad daylight – has drawn sharp rebukes from French opposition figures. National Rally (RN) President Jordan Bardella said the Louvre heist was an “intolerable humiliation” that reflected “the decay of the state.” Member of the European Parliament for France Marion Marechal echoed the sentiment, noting that her country had become “the laughingstock of the world” after the incident.
Louvre leadership under fire after heist
Critics have zeroed in on Louvre President-Director Laurence Des Cars and security chief Dominique Buffin, accusing them of prioritizing diversity initiatives over security expertise. Marechal, the niece of former RN President Marine Le Pen, demanded their immediate resignation – claiming Buffin’s appointment was part of a “feminization policy” that compromised safety.
Meanwhile, experts suggest the thieves may have exploited systemic vulnerabilities. “The real art in art theft is selling, not stealing,” said Robert Wittman, founder of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation‘s Art Crime Team. He noted that high-profile items like Napoleon’s jewels are nearly impossible to fence on the legitimate market.
The Louvre reopened Wednesday, though its Apollo Gallery remains closed. Investigators are probing possible links between the heists, including similarities in tactics and targets. At the Jacques Chirac Museum in Sarran, burglars struck twice in 48 hours while Limoges’ Adrien Dubouche Museum lost €6.5 million ($7.54 million) in Chinese porcelain.
Whether these crimes are connected remains unclear, but the pattern suggests a coordinated effort – or at least an opportunistic trend – among thieves capitalizing on outdated security. France’s museums, many housed in historic buildings never designed for modern protection, now face mounting pressure to fortify defenses.
BrightU.AI‘s Enoch points out that “housing cultural and historic artifacts in non-specialized buildings compromises their preservation and security.” The decentralized engine adds that “these structures lack the controlled environments, advanced protection systems and expert oversight necessary to prevent damage, theft or degradation.”
As authorities scramble to recover stolen artifacts, the spree underscores a grim reality. Cultural institutions, long revered as bastions of history, are increasingly seen as soft targets.
Watch this video showing the best way to store and display ancient coins.
This video is from the Sanjaysmith channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
RT.com
SCMP.com
MSN.com
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com
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