Advisor to the President of Russia on culture, head of the Russian language council Vladimir Tolstoy said that Russia, if necessary, is ready to assist Germany in the search for stolen valuables from the Green Arch treasury.

“Let's hope that in this case things will be found. If this somehow helps the German side, then I’m absolutely sure that Russian colleagues are ready to take part in this, ”the RIA Novosti adviser quotes.

At the same time, Tolstoy emphasized that value accounting plays a significant role in preventing theft of exhibits. “You have to understand that objects of art are not so easy to sell, therefore it is very important not to miss the side of museum work that deals with their study, cataloging,” he said.

According to Tolstoy, detailed descriptions of values ​​can create difficulties for attackers when trying to sell stolen exhibits.

Tolstoy also commented on the problems with security, noting that absolute security cannot be guaranteed - however, in large museums such systems are usually quite reliable, while for small meetings in the regions this issue is more acute.

  • The Green Arch in Dresden
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Sebastian Kahnert / ZB

Speaking about the significance of the incident, Tolstoy also recalled the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral: “People associated with museums perceive any such story anywhere in the world as a personal tragedy. Any loss of heritage, be it Notre Dame de Paris or theft in a German museum, is a huge tragedy for world culture. ”

The robbery of the Green Arch treasury occurred early on Monday morning, November 25, when there were no visitors to the museum. The video from the surveillance cameras contains two attackers with flashlights and axes, but it is possible that they had other accomplices.

Before the incident, a switchboard lit up near the museum building, as a result of which the power supply stopped on the nearest streets. There is a version that in this way criminals could disable the Green Code alarm.

Representatives of the museum said that it is difficult to assess the damage, since the market value of the values ​​was not previously determined (and the price of materials does not reflect the historical significance of the objects). Nevertheless, experts are inclined to believe that the amount could be € 1 billion. Later it turned out that several items remained in the museum hall, but at the moment more than 90 things have been lost.

Cultural Mutual Assistance

A tragedy for world culture was also a major fire in Notre Dame in April 2019. The steeple and clock of the cathedral collapsed, the roof suffered - however, relics, the altar and the cross were preserved.

After the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his readiness to provide all necessary assistance. He sent a telegram to French President Emanuel Macron with words of support and a proposal to involve specialists from Russia in the restoration of the cathedral.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Russia was ready to send not only experts to France, but also materials, if necessary.

The director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums Elena Gagarina also offered assistance. The Hermitage Director General, President of the Union of Museums of Russia Mikhail Piotrovsky also offered support to his French colleagues.

In mid-November, the French side officially invited Russian experts to participate in the restoration of Notre Dame.

“We keep in touch with regard to this issue, and we invited Russian experts to help us rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral ... We are ready to cooperate with Russia, we officially invited them, we are grateful for helping us,” RIA Novosti quoted French Ambassador to Russia Sylvie Bermann.

  • Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral
  • Reuters
  • © Gonzalo Fuentes

In turn, the special envoy of the President of Russia for international cultural cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoy, noted that in the near future the issue of which specific experts will be sent to Paris will be discussed.

“I want you to understand: now only the project for the restoration of the monument is being developed. We need people who are well oriented in creating restoration projects, not directly restoration masters, namely people who know the theoretical aspects, rather architects and restorers who should have a hand in this, ”Shvydko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

In 2018, the Union of Russian Museums also expressed its readiness to help the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, whose collection was also destroyed in a fire.