North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is a state in western Germany. Recently, the town of Gelsenkirchen, located within North Rhine-Westphalia, has become newsworthy due to a large-scale bank robbery. During the Christmas holiday period in December 2025, thieves broke into a Sparkasse bank branch. They used an industrial drill to bore through a wall and gain access to the vault, stealing cash, gold, and jewelry from safe-deposit boxes. The value of the stolen items is estimated to be up to $105 million. The incident has been described as Germany's most spectacular bank heist in years, drawing comparisons to the movie "Ocean's Eleven." As of late December 2025, the robbers remain at large, and police are investigating the crime. The heist has caused anger and concern among bank customers.