$5 Million in Goods Stolen From Russia's Hermitage Museum; staff involved

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: $5 Million in Goods Stolen From Hermitage
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 31, 2006

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's famed State Hermitage Museum on Monday reported the theft of more than 220 works, including jewelry and enameled objects, worth around $5 million, an incident that highlighted the poor security at Russian cultural institutions.

The Hermitage -- housed in the ornate Winter Palace of the Russian czars in St. Petersburg, overlooking the Neva River -- said museum employees were likely involved in the thefts.

In a statement, the museum said staff members learned of the missing items during a routine inventory check. When the check started, the curator in charge of most of the collection where the theft occurred died suddenly at his workplace, the statement said. The museum did not identify the curator or say when or how he died. It also did not identify specific items that were stolen.

''There are many strange aspects of this affair, but unfortunately, there is no doubt that it did not happen without the participation of museum staff,'' the statement said.

The museum also said it was trying to modernize its system for monitoring visitors and employees, and acknowledged that most of the premises were not fully secured. Many of the building's more than 1,000 rooms have inadequate ventilation and security systems; museum employees, for example, often have to open windows for fresh air....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Russia-Hermitage-Thefts.html

[lanlady]

1. Friendly FYI -- the Hermitage is in St Petersburg

not Moscow.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. I AM LOSING IT -- I have been to the Hermitage!

Someone was talking to me as I was posting, and I just looked at the Moscow dateline and typed. Thank you, lanlady! Of course, the Hermitage is in beautiful St. Petersburg.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Who wouldn't love his/her own personal fabulous Faberge jewel-

encrusted, enameled, golden egg or other object, bought at no expense whatsoever by the Tsar, and paid for from the the blood, sweat, tears of the Russian people through their taxes stored in the national treasury?

Only way to go! :eyes:

[Quakerfriend]

3. Just two weeks ago I was at a party and was talking about

the lax security in this museum. One of the folks talking with us said, "It's sort of like they get a couple of old ladies from the market and have them sit in the museum, as guards." Visitors can get right up close to some of these most extraordinary works of art!