By Paul Kirby, Europe digital editor u2014 BBC News
A 2,500-year-old golden helmet considered one of Romaniau2019s greatest treasures has been recovered more than a year after it was stolen during a raid on a Dutch museum.
It and two golden bracelets dating back to about 450BC were unveiled as having been returned to the museum on Thursday, secured behind a glass case with two armed police guarding them. A third bracelet has not yet been found.
The theft of the Cou021bofeneu0219ti helmet and bracelets by an armed gang who broke into the Drents Museum in Assen caused outrage in Romania and raised questions about security for priceless artefacts on loan to other countries.
u201cItu2019s a long-awaited result,u201d Romanian prosecutor Daniela Buruianu0103 told journalists. u201cWe are happy that we are now witnessing here the recovery of the Romanian artefacts,u201d she added.
The treasures had been on loan from Romaniau2019s national history museum when they were stolen, as part of an exhibition called u201cDacia u2013 empire of gold and silveru201d, telling the story of the civilisation and people who lived in present-day Romania before the Roman conquest in 106 AD.
Their theft prompted a spat between the two governments that led to the Dutch government paying a reported u20ac5.7m (u00a35m; $6.5m) in insurance compensation. Romanian officials refused to discuss what would happen to that money now.
Robert van Langh, director of the Drents Museum in the northern Netherlands, said the helmet had been slightly dented but could be restored. The bracelets remained in perfect condition, he said.
Romanian prosecutor Rareu0219-Petru Stan spoke of the u201cmajor impactu201d that the theft had had in his home country, and praised his Dutch colleagues for their u201chard work and keeping the faithu201d.
u201cWe are continuing the investigation to find the last bracelet,u201d he added, u201cand we are grateful that we will be able to return this treasure to the Romanian people.u201d
Dutch public prosecutor Corien Fahner revealed that the helmet and bracelets were handed over to authorities on Wednesday following negotiations involving lawyers for the three suspects.
Two men in their mid-30s and one aged 21 will face trial later this month and Fahner said the return of the treasures was part of a pre-trial agreement with the suspectsu2019 defence lawyers.
The men were arrested within days of the gang using explosives to break into the museum, but by then there was no trace of the priceless items. Art experts have suggested that the helmet and bracelets were stolen to order by a criminal gang.
Several Dutch provincial museums have been targeted in recent years because of the difficulty in providing adequate security for priceless artefacts. The helmet and bracelets were in a glass case that provided little resistance to the armed group.
In 2024, two works by Andy Warhol were stolen from a gallery in the southern Netherlands, and six years ago a Frans Hals painting called Two Laughing Boys was stolen from a small museum in the central town of Leerdam.
The former head of the national history museum in Bucharest, Ernest Oberlu00e4nder-Tu00e2rnoveanu, faced considerable domestic criticism for loaning the gold objects abroad and lost his job within days of the theft.
He spoke of his relief that the helmet had been retrieved. u201cThis is a unique item in European and even global cultural heritage,u201d he told RTL Nieuws. u201cThe helmet is an important social and political symbol of Dacian civilisation.u201d