Finally, we waited for the final decision on the "Scythian gold". The Supreme Court of the Netherlands rejected the cassation appeal of the Crimean museums and made a final decision. The collection of unique artifacts, which is currently in the Allard Pearson Archaeological Museum in Amsterdam, will be transferred to Ukraine.
This story began in 2013, when a collection of exhibits from Ukrainian museums and historical and cultural reserves "went" to Europe for an exhibition. The exposition of the exhibition "Scythian gold", or "Crimea - a golden island in the Black Sea", consisted of items of ancient jewelry art.
At the beginning of 2014, the collection "reached" the Rhine Regional Museum of Bonn, and after that it "went" to the Netherlands.
The exposition consisted of 584 unique artifacts, including weapons, precious jewelry and Scythian gold. Its estimated value exceeded €1,000,000. By the way, the most expensive exhibit from this collection, the Scythian helmet, which is over 2,000 years old, was returned to Ukraine.
The exhibits extremely impressed the Europeans, because it was the property of six Ukrainian museums and historical and cultural reserves - the Museum of Historical Jewels of Ukraine, the Kerch Historical and Cultural Reserve, the Central Tavrida Museum, the Bakhchisarai Historical and Cultural Reserve and the Chersonesus Tavriysky Reserve.
After Russia's occupation of the Crimean Peninsula in early 2014, the exhibition became the object of legal disputes between three parties. However, in the same year, Ukraine managed to return part of the exhibition exhibits that belonged to museums from the mainland of the country.
In December 2016, the Amsterdam court ruled that the Scythian gold collection should belong to Ukraine. And Crimea, occupied by Russia, cannot claim it. All museum exhibits of the exhibition are the state part of the Museum Fund of Ukraine, so they must be returned to Ukraine.
Almost a year after this decision, the occupation authorities of Crimea filed an appeal. However, the case was suspended.
Ukraine's request for the return of "Scythian gold" was granted on October 26, 2021. And only on June 9, 2023, this decision was confirmed by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.
"We are waiting for the return of the "Scythian gold" home to Ukraine!" — the phrase that ends the corresponding message on the website of the President of Ukraine.
Source: president.gov.ua
