Alarm rang today Thursday (04.09.2025) at the Adrien Dubouche National Museum of Limoges in the south Franceafter three porcelain projects worth millions of euros, considered national treasures “made wings” after robbery which took place shortly after 03:15 am (local time).
The robbers broke a window to get into the museum And then they headed to the section of the historic gallery where the French collection was hosted and managed to steal “two particularly important Chinese porcelain dishes … from the 14th and 15th centuries” and an 18th -century Chinese jar, with the “mammoth” robbery.
On his side, The museum estimated the value of stolen items at about EUR 9.5 million, In initial assessment to the police.
Burglary at the National Dubouché Museum in Limoges, the damage estimated at more than 6 million euroshttps://t.co/gZZuPrwXmm pic.twitter.com/mSkZtqntJG
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) September 4, 2025
The prosecutors have opened an investigation into “an overwhelming theft of cultural property exposed to a French museum, performed by a group and with damage to property”.
“The guards activated the alarm and the police quickly arrived at the scene, but the suspects had already fled,” said Limoga prosecutor Emily Abranda.
«The security system worked, but it may need review“Said the mayor of the city, Emil Roger Lombardi. “All the great museums of the world have been theft at some point,” he added, before proposing a theory of robbery.
«It is likely that collectors give orders to steal these objects and turn to high -level criminals“He said.
The museum hosts about 18,000 projects, including the largest Porcelain Limoges Public Collection, according to its website.
In pictures – Here are the two platforms and a Chinese vase estimated at several million euros stolen last night at the Adrien Dubouché Museum in Limoges
https://t.co/RqAY7BDfqV pic.twitter.com/bepRbpJlYc– here (@ici_officiel) September 4, 2025
There were two major thefts in French museums in November 2024: one at the Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris, where four people broke a showcase with ax and bats during the day while visitors watched before grabbing cigarettes and other valuable items.
The next day, many millions of euros worth of jewelry was stolen in armed robbery at the Hieron Museum in eastern France.