Thieves raided the Treasure of Villena collection at the Villena Museum in Alicante province, Spain, early Thursday morning, stealing most of the gold Bronze Age objects in a four-minute heist. The thieves entered around 5:20 a.m. local time and fled by 5:24 a.m. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Treasure of Villena includes more than 50 mainly gold items such as 29 bracelets, 11 bowls, and 3 bottles dating back to around 1000 BC. The total gold weight approximates 10 kilograms, with the estimated value around €1.7 million (£1.45 million). [1, 2, 3, 4]
During the theft, the thieves took most gold items including rings, bowls, bracelets, and bottles but left silver vessels and some other objects behind. They gained entry through a window and escaped in several vehicles. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The museum’s alarm was triggered at about 5:20 a.m., shortly after a diversion alarm was set off at a local sports center around 5:15 a.m. to misdirect police efforts. Officials confirmed all security systems at the museum were activated with no failures. [1, 2, 3, 4]
A Villena town council spokesperson described the operation as “super-fast and super-professional.” Mayor Fulgencio Cerdán said, "We are absolutely devastated, I'm even trembling. The truth is that for those of us from Villena, this destroys us. It's part of our heritage, of our wealth." He confirmed, "They've taken most of the treasure." [1, 2]
The Treasure of Villena was discovered in 1963 by archaeologist Jose María Soler in a vessel in a dried riverbed in Villena. Since May 2024, it has been displayed at the municipally owned Villena Museum. [1, 2, 3, 4]
This theft follows high-profile European museum heists, including a $102 million robbery at the Louvre in Paris in October 2025 and a burglary of Renaissance paintings in Sicily earlier this month. [1, 4]
Police continue investigating the incident and searching for the stolen artifacts. The next update is expected as inquiries progress.
