The unique jewel sets were the special attraction of the Green Vault. Among the stolen pieces are the diamond jewelry of former Saxon queens, a military star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle, and a diamond-encrusted sword. They were kept in display cases that the thieves broke into in November 2019.

The ornate breast star was made in 1746-49 by goldsmith Jean Jacques Pallard using diamonds, rubies, gold and silver. Receiving the star was a rare honor: By the time Saxon Elector and King of Poland Augustus II the Strong died in 1733, he had appointed only 40 Knights to the Order of the White Eagle.

An aigrette is a type of hair ornament. This piece, a stolen item from the collection in Dresden, was designed in the shape of a sun. It was made at some point between 1782 and 1807 and belongs to the collection of brilliant jewelry owned by the former queens of Saxony. It consists of 127 diamonds and is constructed of silver.

This over-the-top sword hilt was designed by several jewelers in the 18th century. It consists of nine larger diamonds and 770 smaller ones, as well as a number of silver, gold, steel and velvet elements. What happened to it after the theft is anyone's guess.

Saxony's ruler Augustus II the Strong (1670-1733) wanted to create artistic gesamtkunstwerk, mixed artistic forms, in Dresden during his reign. Between 1723 and 1730, he had a Baroque building erected to express his vision of wealth and power. This palace, now the Green Vault museum, reflects this opulent vision and to this day remains full of significant works of art and valuable jewels.

The White Silver Room is one of eight chambers that comprise the Green Vault. Visiting the collection is like traveling back in time to the Baroque era, as one browses the 3,000 objects in the collection. The Green Vault opened to the public as early as 1724. Visitors were only allowed to enter in small groups and, according to the king's wish, "with clean clothing."

Augustus II the Strong had his Dresden residence expanded according to the French model. He held court in the style of Louis XIV, depleting Saxony's finances in the process. The coat of arms of the elector of Saxony can still be found in the ornate building.

Thieves have stolen a collection of almost 500 gold coins from the Celtic Museum in Manching, Bavaria. The 2,000-year-old treasure was the museum's highlight. It is still unclear how the perpetrators were able to switch off the alarm systems. The police described the burglary as having been executed in a classic way, as in "a bad movie," while Bavaria's culture minister called it a "disaster."

The Green Vault in Dresden's Royal Palace is one of the most famous treasure chambers of Europe. Early in the morning of November 25, 2019, burglars broke into the museum and stole three sets of jewelry from the early 18th century. The works made up of diamond, ruby and emerald gems are seen as "priceless." German newspaper Bild called it "probably the biggest art theft since World War II."

The world's most famous portrait, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," was stolen in 1911. A young Italian named Vincenzo Peruggia took the painting from the Louvre in Paris. Dressed as a member of the museum staff, he was able to hide the relatively small painting under his work coat. It reappeared in 1913 after an art dealer alerted the police.

Rembrandt's portrait of "Jacques III de Gheyn" wasn't stolen from Britain's Dulwich Picture Gallery just once, but four times, namely in 1966, 1973, 1981 and 1986. That's why it came to be nicknamed the "Takeaway Rembrandt." Fortunately the painting has been recovered after each theft.

The burglary of 13 paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum stirred international attention in 1990. Two men disguised as policemen broke into the building and removed the paintings, among them Edouard Manet's "Chez Tortoni" and Jan Vermeer's "Concert" (pictured). The empty picture frames are still hanging on the walls.

In 1991, a man managed to lock himself into a bathroom in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam — unnoticed. With the help of a warden, he removed a total of 20 paintings, among them the Dutch painter's "Self-Portrait with Easel." However, police were able to recover the works from the getaway car just one hour later. The thieves were caught a few months later.

"Madonna of the Yarnwinder" by Leonardo da Vinci, valued at €70 million ($72 million), was stolen from a Scottish castle in 2003. Two thieves who entered an exhibition as tourists overpowered the security guard at Drumlanrig Castle and fled with the precious artwork. It remained lost for years until it was discovered during a raid in Glasgow in 2007.

Two paintings by expressionist Edvard Munch, "The Scream" and "Madonna," were stolen in Oslo in 2004. Two armed robbers invaded the Munch Museum and, witnessed by numerous visitors, ripped the paintings from the wall. Police were able to retrieve the two famous paintings. However, "The Scream" was damaged so badly during the incident that it could never be fully restored.

In 2008, armed thieves pilfered four paintings amounting to a total value of 180 million Swiss francs (€183 million, $189 million) from the collection Bührle in Zurich. "The Boy in the Red Vest" by Paul Cézanne, "Ludovic Lepic and His Daughters" by Edgar Degas, "Blossoming Chestnut Branches" by Vincent van Gogh, and "Poppy Field Near Vétheuil" by Claude Monet (pictured) all resurfaced later on.

In March 2017, a huge gold coin weighing 100 kilos was stolen from Berlin's Bode Museum. Just its sheer material value alone amounts to four million dollars. It is believed that the thieves found their way into the building through a window. The "Big Maple Leaf" coin originated in Canada. It is 53 cm high and 3 cm thick. On the front side, it bears an image of Queen Elizabeth II.