Burglars broke into Berlin's Stasi Museum, which showcases items of former East Germany's secret police, making off with collectible medals and gold jewelry, authorities said Sunday, days after a spectacular diamond heist in Dresden.

The robbers broke in through a window on the first floor, "smashed several showcases, and stole medals and jewelry," said police.

The time of the raid was unclear but a museum employee found showcases smashed in the exhibition rooms on Sunday morning.

Museum director Joerg Drieselmann told the Tagesspiegel daily that among the medals taken were a gold Patriotic order of Merit, an Order of Karl Marx - the highest honor awarded in former East Germany and an Order of Lenin.

Stolen jewelry included rings and a watch, he said. 

"These are not huge treasures. But we are a history museum and don't expect people to break in," the museum chief was quoted as saying. 

AFP