A 2,000-year-old gold hoard from four museums in Crimea belongs to Ukraine, according to a court ruling. The High Council of the Netherlands decided today in The Hague that the valuable cultural property must be returned to Ukraine. This ended the legal dispute after about seven years. The golden treasure got stuck between the fronts of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Crimea’s cultural treasures arrived in Amsterdam in 2014 and were displayed at the Allard Pierson Museum. The hundreds of objects included “Scythian gold”, jewelry, weapons and masks. But in 2014, the peninsula on the Black Sea was annexed by Russia.
The Amsterdam museum did not return the precious objects after the exhibition, because it did not know who the rightful owner was.
“Crimean Gold” in secret location
Both the four museums, now under Russian administration, and the Ukrainian state have made claims. But the courts in all instances ruled that Ukraine was the legal owner. “The State of Ukraine has a legitimate interest in protecting its cultural heritage,” the Supreme Council decided.
The “Crimean Gold” is in the care of the Amsterdam Museum in a secret location. Pieces include a 2,400-year-old helmet worn by Scythians, as well as 2,000-year-old Chinese lacquered cases from the Han Dynasty, filigree brooches and a gold scabbard.