In the Netherlands, held the first court hearing in the case of the Scythian gold – TV-Channel Culture

05.10.2016 | 15:29

Arbitration court of Amsterdam today held the first hearing on the case of the Scythian gold from the museums of Crimea. Prior to that, the parties to the conflict exchanged endless letters, trying to solve the issue in the pretrial order, but they failed. The hearing began about six hours ago, the results will be known by the evening, but expect a prompt resolution of extremely complex and painful question. According to the laws of the Netherlands, the verdict will be announced only six weeks after the hearing. The losing side will likely appeal. The arguments of the representatives of Russia listened to our correspondents.

This “affair” lasted for a year. Scythian gold and other valuables from the collections of the five museums of the Crimea to the exhibition in the Amsterdam Museum Alarda Pearson brought in 2014. The exhibition was such a success that its work extended. At this time the new authorities of official Kiev declared Crimean artifacts are the property of Ukraine. In response to the Crimean museums have filed a class action lawsuit.

“World cultural heritage is formed like a honeycomb of small cells. Every Museum with its collection contributes to world culture. Let’s not a big collection, not millionth, but a whole era and a layer of culture, of history, which must be stored. And it is impossible to lift from the ground, where it was all produced and found,” – said the chief curator of the Central Museum of Taurida in Simferopol Lyudmila Hrapunov.

Hope for the return of the exhibits of the State historical and archaeological Museum Chersonese Tavricheskiy. Contrary to the popular expression “Scythian gold” gold items for the exhibition, he did not provide – only the stone artifacts. Among them, the plate with the first description of Chersonesos historian Sirixm, as well as documents of antiquity.

“Many of these items, the vast majority were found by our predecessors before the revolution, in the beginning of the century, in 1903, 1908, 1913, – to return to his native land in his Museum. They are authentic to this place, they have been found in this land, and they should be represented here”, – the Director istoriko-archaeological Museum-reserve “Chersonese” Svetlana Melnikova.

Precedents of this kind in the world Museum the right was not. The decision-making process will certainly be difficult. The Russian side knows about it. The present position of the Crimean museums in court is an international legal company.

First hearing about the Scythian gold – 5 October in Amsterdam. The meeting will be held in public. But, according to experts, today, can hardly wait for fateful decisions.

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