cult goods
Netherlands: Who owns the “Gold of Crimea”?
In 2014, archaeological art treasures from Crimea were on display in Amsterdam. But what to do with the exhibits at the end of the show when Russia annexed Crimea?
In the years of legal tug-of-war over the approximately 2,000-year-old hoard of gold from four Crimean museums, a final decision in favor of Ukraine is now pending. The Attorney General of the Netherlands recommended on Friday in The Hague that the country’s highest court finally award the cultural treasures of the Scythians to Ukraine.
As a rule, the judges of the High Council follow the recommendation. The valuable cultural assets got into the front line of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Previously, Amsterdam courts had also awarded the valuable cultural assets of Ukraine in two instances. As a result, the Crimean museums appealed to the Supreme Council. The verdict is expected in September.
It all started in 2014 with an exhibition in Amsterdam about archaeological art treasures from Crimea. The hundreds of objects included gold, jewels, weapons, and masks. But in 2014, Crimea was annexed by Russia. The Amsterdam museum did not return the valuable objects after the exhibition, because it did not know who the rightful owner was.
The Crimean museums, now under Russian administration, are reclaiming the pieces. But according to Kiev, it is about Ukrainian state property. The art treasures are kept in a secret location in the Netherlands.