Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This report details a €4 million jewelry heist at a French museum, occurring amid heightened security concerns. The brazen theft, described by local officials as the work of well-informed professionals, raises urgent questions about cultural site protections.
Jewelry (Topic)
jewelry was stolen
He believes the thieves were professionals.
Initial reports stated that masked men broke into the museum by forcing a door open. They immediately headed to the jewellery room, smashed six display cases, and ran away with around 20 items.
France has grappled with a series of high-profile security breaches in the last few years. Less than a year ago, an organised group disguised themselves as construction workers to steal eight items from the French Crown Jewels at the Louvre, the most visited museum in the world.
International Business Times UK
World
Jujemay Awit
France
René Lalique
Some of the pieces created by René Lalique that are on display at the Musée Lalique (Credit: Musée Lalique File Photo)
Millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry from the iconic Lalique Museum in France were stolen during a dawn break-in. It is the latest in a spate of museum robberies hitting the country in the last couple of years.
According to sources, thieves broke into the museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in northeastern France around 5:30 a.m. local time.
Some 20 jewels were taken, estimated at close to €4 million, or the equivalent of £3.4 million and $4.6 million. According to investigators,
The museum’s CCTV is currently being examined. Police are looking into possible lapses regarding why the theft wasn’t immediately noticed when the alarm went off.
Wingen-sur-Moder Mayor Christian Dorschner told the media,
A source said that most of the items stolen were made of crystal, which cannot be melted down and resold. Musée Lalique is one of three institutions in the world inspired by jeweller and glass designer René Lalique. It has over 650 exhibits and welcomes thousands of visitors every year.
Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder welcomes thousands of visitors every year (Credit: Musée Lalique File Photo)
The brazen attack happened in broad daylight, with the stolen items pegged at €88 million, or equivalent to £75.4 million and $100.6 million.
While the Louvre robbery on 19 October 2025 drew global attention, another museum fell victim to thieves on the same day. Some 2,000 gold and silver coins, estimated to be worth €90,000, or equivalent to £77,107 million and $102,860, were stolen from the Maison des Lumières in Landres, northeastern France.
High-profile crimes in France have also included the armed robbery of reality star Kim Kardashian in Paris on 3 October 2016. Eight people were found guilty last year for their role in that attack.
The recent heatwave also amped up chaotic scenes in French stores as crowds rushed to buy air-conditioning units. Some incidents escalated into all-out brawls.
Reports of rampant pickpocketing in tourist-heavy areas have prompted warnings from many countries. In a travel advisory, the US State Department said,