Munich (dpa/lby) - After the spectacular theft of gold from a museum in Manching, Bavaria's Minister of Art and Science, Markus Blume, wants to better protect cultural assets in the future with a new package of measures. "The recent events are a wake-up call: We are dealing with a new generation of perpetrators, we have to react to that," said the CSU politician on Friday of the German Press Agency in Munich. "One thing is clear: We secure and protect our cultural assets, but our museums must not be high-security wings in the future either."
On the one hand, the package of measures provides for a "review of the security facilities and concepts of all state museums and collections". In the case of objects of particularly high material value, museums should also check whether only some of the objects can be exhibited or whether individual objects can be replaced by copies. In addition, they want to use more glazing or hood showcases, especially for high-quality paintings or exhibits.
The museums are also to be given financial support in implementing the measures. Up to one million euros are to be made available from next year's budget for the protection of cultural assets in state museums. For non-governmental museums, there should also be up to one million euros from the culture fund in 2023. According to the state office for non-state museums, there are more than 1,200 museums in Bavaria that are not solely state-sponsored. This means that these museums would have an average of less than 840 euros at their disposal thanks to the new special programme.
Last week, a hoard of gold weighing several kilos, consisting mainly of coins, was stolen during a burglary in the Celtic Roman Museum in Manching, Upper Bavaria. So far there is no trace of the perpetrators or the loot.
