Italian police found two paintings of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh - View of the Sea at Scheveningen and Congregation Leave the Reformed Church in Nuenen – which were stolen 15 years ago and returned them to the Museum, Interfax reports. 

According to the director of the museum, Axel Rueger, the return of the paintings is one of the best moments in the history of the museum.  The paintings were stolen by unknown persons in 2002. Later, they found themselves in the hands of the Italian mafia. The Italian police confiscated these pictures during a special operation against local criminal groups.