Suspected Thieves Flee Dresden Museum Complex After Being Spotted by Security Guard

Police have ramped up security around Dresden‘s Zwinger, a Baroque palace complex that houses an internationally renowned porcelain collection as well as Old Master paintings and historic scientific instruments, after two men suspected of plotting a break-in were chased off by a security guard early Tuesday morning.

According to Saxony’s criminal police and public prosecutor’s office, the two unidentified men entered the Zwinger’s open courtyard through the Crown Gate sometime between 6:10 and 6:30 a.m. on October 27. Investigators believe they were carrying tools intended for a heist.

Whatever they had planned, they didn’t get very far. When a security guard approached them, the men turned around and ran back through the gate. Police think they may have been targeting the porcelain collection, although they haven’t identified a specific object or confirmed that the men tried to force their way inside.

According to Monopol, authorities are now looking for witnesses, while the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), which oversees the city’s state art collections, has increased security at the museum.

The incident is an uncomfortable reminder of Dresden’s recent history with art thieves. In November 2019, burglars broke into the city’s Green Vault museum and escaped with priceless royal jewels in one of Europe’s most spectacular museum robberies. Five men were later convicted and sentenced to six years in prison connection with the theft.

The SKD has also faced more recent security concerns. In January, the institution suffered a cyberattack, and German media subsequently reported that thieves may have been interested in two valuable pieces of Chinese porcelain. Prosecutors, however, say there’s no concrete evidence connecting this week’s suspected break-in attempt to the cyberattack.

According to German news outlet MDR, the porcelain collection was already closed for construction work when the incident occurred. Earlier this year, authorities had reportedly received warnings about a possible plot to steal a rare Chinese porcelain bowl and a dragon vase. Some objects were moved for safekeeping, although investigators haven’t linked those warnings to Tuesday’s incident.

The suspected break-in comes during a particularly busy stretch for art thieves. Last October, burglars made off with roughly $100 million in jewels from the Louvre in a daring daylight robbery. This year, thieves stole paintings by Cezanne, Matisse, and Renoir from an Italian museum, while another gang escaped with two Renoirs from a museum in southern France. Those paintings were later recovered, but the string of robberies has raised fresh questions about how well Europe’s museums are protecting their collections.