Over 400 Viking artifacts stolen from University Museum of Bergen

Between August 11 and 13, 2017, thieves stole over 400 Iron Age and Viking artifacts from the University Museum of Bergen in southwestern Norway, in what is considered the largest art theft in Norwegian history. The burglars reportedly entered by climbing scaffolding on the museum's facade during renovation work; the alarm triggered twice but guards ignored it. The objects are historically valuable but difficult to sell, making the theft unusual. Many items are small and lack photographic documentation. The theft highlights persistent security failures in Norwegian museums, echoing the 2004 theft of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and "Madonna" from the Munch Museum in Oslo, which took over two years to recover. At that time, Norwegian culture minister Svarstad Haugland criticized inadequate protection of national artworks, yet little has changed in nearly 15 years.