Police in Germany were Tuesday hunting robbers who snatched priceless 18th-century jewellery from a state museum in Dresden in what local media have called the biggest art heist in modern history.

Police in Germany were Tuesday hunting robbers who snatched priceless 18th-century jewellery from a state museum in Dresden in what local media have called the biggest art heist in modern history.

Authorities across eastern Germany have been put on alert after thieves made off with treasures from the Green Vault at Dresden's Royal Palace in an astonishing smash-and-grab raid early Monday morning.

Police called on witnesses to step forward and released images of the stolen items, which include a sword whose hilt was encrusted with nine large and 770 smaller diamonds, and a diamond bow decorated with 662 brilliants.

The thieves remain on the run.