Czech republic, reputedly the most atheist country in Europe, has a very rich religious heritage, which however suffers badly from theft. More movable religious heritage is stolen from churches and other sites here than in any other European country. In the 1990s, the thefts skyrocketed, multiplying by a hundred, a police officer says. Much of this heritage is illegally exported to the West, notably to Germany, Austria, France, Spain and Great-Britain. Differences between the jurisdiction of these states complicates the cooperation between their police forces in countering this traffic. Since the Wall came down and the country opened its borders, tens of thousands of precious cultural objects have disappeared.
“La valeur totale des objets dérobés est inestimable, ou en tout cas difficile à estimer, plusieurs dizaines de millions d’euros sûrement, peut-être même plusieurs centaines de millions, et des trafiquants bien organisés, qui savent comment échapper aux poursuites.”
Read the whole article in French here.
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