Burglars raided the Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder, northeastern France, early on Sunday morning, making off with approximately 20 pieces of jewellery worth close to €4 million, according to a source close to the investigation.
The break-in occurred around 5:30 am, with the thieves going directly to the museum’s jewellery room. “Around twenty pieces of jewellery were stolen. The loss is currently being assessed but could amount to several million euros, likely close to four million,” the investigation source told AFP.
An alarm triggered during the raid, but a cleaning lady arrived at the scene before security personnel had completed their checks, and she was the one who called police. CCTV footage from the site is now being examined.
The museum, which opened in 2011 near the Lalique factory and is dedicated to the work of Art Nouveau and Art Deco jeweller and glassmaker René Lalique, announced on its website that it would remain closed for several days.
The theft comes less than a year after a brazen daytime raid on the Louvre in Paris, in which thieves made off with $102 million worth of jewellery in under eight minutes, an incident that put the security of French cultural institutions under scrutiny.
