A significant collection of Bronze Age gold jewellery and artefacts has been stolen from a museum in Spain’s Alicante province in a professionally executed early-morning raid, according to a report.
The stolen objects formed part of the Treasure of Villena, a unique collection dating to around 1,000 BC and containing nearly 10 kg of gold. The Villena Museum confirmed that rings, bowls and bracelets were among the items taken, while police are assessing the full extent of the theft.
The robbery took place at around 5:20 am local time on Thursday, shortly after an alarm at a nearby sports centre diverted police officers to the location. According to Spanish media reports, the thieves entered the museum, seized the artefacts and escaped within about four minutes.
Villena Mayor Fulgencio Cerdán said the thieves had taken “a large part of the treasure”, including all the gold items, describing the loss as devastating for the city and its heritage.
The collection comprises more than 60 Bronze Age objects, including 29 bracelets, 11 bowls and three bottles, along with artefacts made from silver, iron and amber.
The treasure was discovered in 1963 by archaeologist José María Soler in a vessel buried in a dried riverbed in Villena. The town council said the museum’s security systems had functioned properly and that there had been no security failure.
The theft is the latest in a series of high-profile museum raids across Europe. In October 2025, jewellery worth millions of dollars was stolen from the Louvre in Paris, while four works by Renaissance artist Antonello da Messina were reported stolen from a museum in Sicily last week.
