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CRIME

Swiss museum offers reward for missing paintings

Kunsthaus Zurich, one of Switzerland's top art museums, is offering a 10,000 Swiss franc reward for information that could help it track down two missing paintings, police said Tuesday.

Swiss museum offers reward for missing paintings
Zurich's Kunsthaus is one of Switzerland's top art museums. Photo by ARND WIEGMANN / AFP

The museum has lost trace of two small artworks: one by Flemish painter Robert van den Hoecke and the other by Dutch Golden Age artist Dirck de Bray.

“Kunsthaus Zurich has been missing two valuable paintings since the end of December 2022. According to initial investigations by the Zurich cantonal police, a theft has taken place,” the force said in a statement.

“Kunsthaus Zurich is offering a reward of up to 10,000 Swiss francs for information that leads to the investigation of the crime or the recovery of
the paintings.”

Anyone with information on the perpetrators or the whereabouts of the paintings has been asked to contact the police.

The museum took down more than 700 works for cleaning and restoration after a fire broke out in August 2022.

But no trace of these two paintings could later be found, with police saying they were stolen between September 21st and December 22nd.

The two works are both painted on oak, framed and covered with glass.

They have been listed in the Art Loss Register, the world’s largest database of lost and stolen art. Established in London in 1990, the register currently lists more than 700,000 items.

With nearly 4,000 paintings and sculptures and 95,000 graphic works, Kunsthaus Zurich has one of the most important art collections in Switzerland, which ranges from the 13th century to the present day.

About 1,000 works are on permanent display.

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LAUSANNE

American tourist ‘violently attacked’ in Lausanne

A woman visiting from the United States was stabbed during a robbery attempt while sightseeing in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

American tourist 'violently attacked' in Lausanne

The attack occurred at the end of May, but the Swiss media reported it on Tuesday.

The victim, in her 50s, was “violently” attacked by a man with a knife while sightseeing in the Old Town, according to Lausanne’s newspaper 24 Heures. The attempted robbery was confirmed by local police.

The tourist was stabbed in the shoulder as the assailant tried to flee with her bag.

A local shopkeeper said she was “alerted by cries of distress in English” and witnessed the victim “lying on the ground and trying to defend herself against a man who was attacking her. The scene was extremely violent.”

Even though passersby attempted to intercept the attacker, he managed to escape.

He was, however, caught and arrested shortly thereafter. Police said the perpatrator was known for prior criminal acts.

This was the second case of a brutal attack in Switzerland  against a US tourist in a span of several months.

In February, an American woman was raped and beaten in Geneva. 

The suspect in that case lived in France and, according to the Geneva prosecutor’s office, was arrested “outside Switzerland.” 

Does this mean the two cities are unsafe for tourists?

Lausanne police said that no incidents “targeting tourists in particular” have been reported in the Vaud capital.

But reading about these attacks probably doesn’t fill you with confidence regarding your personal security in Switzerland.

Still, you should put these unfortunate incidents in perspective.

That’s because Switzerland consistently ranks among the least risky nations in the world, both in terms of personal safety and overall crime rate.

Not only is crime limited in scope, but other statistics also indicate that, in comparison with other countries, Switzerland is very safe.

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