Villena Treasure stolen in under four minutes, major Bronze Age find in Europe

The Villena Treasure, one of the most valuable collections of metalwork from the Bronze Age in Europe, was stolen in the early hours of this morning from MUVI, the museum in this town in Alicante. Dated to around 1000 BC, the hoard consists mainly of gold pieces.

In barely four minutes, burglars slipped past the security in the small hours of the Villena Museum (MUVI) and made off with part of its star attraction: the Villena Treasure, a collection of gold, silver, iron and amber objects from the Bronze Age.

They also stole three crowns of the Virgin and Child that were kept in the museum. The Local Police and Civil Guard are investigating the theft, which, according to initial indications, appears to have been carried out in a coordinated, carefully planned way by professionals. The treasure is valued at more than 1.5 million euros.