Jewels belonging to Princess Mathilde Bonaparte (who died in 1904) were stolen overnight from Saturday to Sunday in the Herbert de La Tronche museum, located near Grenoble.
Belonging to the Fondation de France, they had been lent to the establishment by the Musée d'Orsay.
"The thieves used a ladder and broke the shutter of the room where the jewelry was," said the Grenoble prosecutor's office in a statement on Sunday, not specifying the value of the stolen items.
“Cultural heritage damage”
The facts were discovered in the early morning shortly after 05:00 when the building alarm went off.
"Museum staff arrived on site and put two individuals to flight," AFP reported.
The investigation was handed over to the federal police.
“We regret this attack on cultural heritage,” reacted a spokeswoman for the Hébert museum.
According to the latter, who did not wish to give more details, the stolen jewels were part of a permanent exhibition at the Isère museum.
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Heist
Flight
Museum
Jewelry
Grenoble
Isere
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes