What crimes related to works of art and cultural heritage do the police most often deal with?
- theft of objects from religious, profane and residential buildings (Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Slovenia),
- unauthorised or unsupervised archaeological excavations and thefts of archaeological finds (Article 205 or 219 of the Criminal Code-1),
- intentional damage or destruction of buildings and objects of cultural heritage (vandalism) (Article 219 of the Criminal Code-1),
- smuggling or unauthorized import and export of works of art (Article 218 of the Criminal Code-1),
- fraud and illegal trade in copies and forgeries of works by recognized domestic and foreign masters, which are sold as originals (Article 148 or 211 of the Criminal Code-1).
The "victims" of the listed crimes are a wide variety of objects:
- images, graphics, icons,
- statues, carvings, building sculptures (stone portals, window frames, etc. ),
- antique furniture (chests, cabinets, chairs, tables...),
- old weapons and coins,
- arts and crafts (crockery, jewellery, liturgical objects, etc. ),
- archival material (manuscripts, old books...),
- objects of archaeological finds.
Slovenia is a country with a turbulent history and rich treasures of the past, which are increasingly threatened by the listed crimes. Cultural heritage is the mirror of a nation and an irreplaceable and invaluable source of information about the lives of ancestors.
| The saying goes that a nation without its own cultural heritage is like a tree without roots, so it is certainly worth more than the paltry sums for which it is usually sold by thieves or local traffickers, and more than the huge sums fetched for it at auctions. So let's not let a gang of predators and ruthless dealers get rich at the expense of our cultural heritage! |
Where can you report actions against works of art and cultural heritage?
- to the anonymous police phone number 080-1200
- to the police telephone number 113 or
- via e-report of a crime (in Slovenian only)
Information about stolen and recovered items can be found:
- on the website of the Slovenian police in the section Stolen works of art (in Slovenian only)
- on the Interpol website
- on the website of the register of stolen works of art: Art Loss Register