Valuable collectibles have been stolen from Napoleon's 'Last Headquarters' in Genappe (Walloon Brabant). Last Wednesday, during the night two thieves broke a window and stole several exhibits including a gold ring with five diamonds that once belonged to the French emperor Napoleon. Napolean wore the ring during his flight from the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.
Belgium experiences ‘Louvre-moment’ as thieves get away with Napoleon's gold ring from his ‘Last HQ’
Colin Clapson
Published:
The thieves struck on Wednesday night and gained entrance to the museum after shattering a window, after which they broke into several display cases.
Their loot included various objects of great value, among them an 18-carat gold ring set with five diamonds. Napoleon wore the item during his flight on 18 June 1815, after the Battle of Waterloo. In addition, gold and silver coins dating from the Napoleonic Age have also disappeared.
Probe under way
The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation. The museum was closed to the public for several days but has now reopened. A visit to the farmhouse, which dates from 1757, is also well worth your time.
‘This event saddens us deeply, but at the same time strengthens our determination to protect this unique heritage and share it with the public,’ Tanguy Stuckens, leader of the provincial executive, told Belgian media. ‘The museum remains faithful to its mission: to pass on history and the collective memory.’
Napoleon's 'Last Headquarters'
Napoleon's 'Last Headquarters' were where Napoleon slept on the night of 17 June 1815, just before the Battle of Waterloo, his last great battle. The farmhouse, built in 1757, served as a command post and now houses a museum with valuable objects and documents from that period, including the emperor's personal belongings.
When it rains in Paris, it drips in Brussels...
This is the second time in only a few months that jewellery linked to Napoleon has been stolen. At the end of October, art thieves stole a total of eight pieces of jewellery from the famous Louvre museum in the French capital Paris. A necklace and earrings belonging to Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife, and the tiara and brooches of the Empress Eugénie, Napoleon III's wife, were all stolen from one of the world's most illustrious French museums.