Sinterklaas and the mystery of the missing chain of office, who will solve the case?

Fifteen years ago, the mayoral chain of Haarlem was stolen from the office of then-mayor Bernt Schneiders just before the arrival of Sinterklaas. The theft occurred while the office was left unlocked for child tours and costume changes, allowing the thief to take the historic 1894 silver chain from an antique cabinet. Despite a police investigation, a ten-thousand-euro reward, and inquiries into various groups present that day, the item remains missing to this day.

Following the incident, local silversmiths crafted a replacement chain for the mayor to wear by the following January. While other mayors, including the late Eberhard van der Laan of Amsterdam, offered to lend their own chains, Schneiders only accepted a temporary replacement from the nearby municipality of Bloemendaal. Although a previous theft of a historical chain from the Haarlem city hall occurred in 1971, the 2011 case remains unsolved. Schneiders continues to hope that the original piece, which holds significant symbolic value, may eventually be recovered.