BUCHAREST — The 2,500-year-old golden Cotofenesti helmet was returned to Romania on Tuesday, arriving at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport after its theft from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands in January 2025. Most of the artifacts taken in the raid arrived at the airport after 14 months of investigations, diplomatic tensions, and a trial of three suspects.

Three golden bracelets from the Dacia civilization were also stolen from the Drents Museum in the January 2025 theft. The helmet was slightly dented during its disappearance, while the recovered bracelets were in perfect condition.

The artifacts were transported under guard from the airport to Bucharest's National History Museum, where the helmet and bracelets were displayed in a glass cabinet flanked by masked, armed guards. They will be exhibited to the public in Bucharest before undergoing restoration work.

"For months, we have lived with the fear that part of our past could be lost forever. Today we can say that an essential part of this treasure has returned," said Cornel Constantin Ilie, interim director of the National History Museum. He described the objects as "not as simple patrimony items, but as relics of our historical memory, as the legacy of a civilization that continues to define us."

"Today, these treasures returned home," Ilie said. Romania's Minister of Culture, Demeter Andras Istvan, spoke at the display of "how strong the connection between heritage and collective consciousness can be."

Dutch prosecutors unveiled the recovered items at a news conference in Assen earlier this month. Before the recovery, there were fears the helmet might have been melted down because its fame and distinctive appearance made it virtually unsellable. After the raid, Dutch authorities reviewed grainy security footage showing three people wrenching open a museum door with a crowbar followed by an explosion.

Drents Museum director Robert van Langh said he would continue the search for the third golden bracelet and expected a judicial verdict in the coming weeks.