Just days after a large phallus sculpture mysteriously disappeared from a Bavarian mountainside, a similar wooden carving has appeared in its place, German news agency dpa reported Thursday.
The saga began several years ago, when a 2-meter-tall (almost 7-foot) tall sculpture appeared on the 1,738-meter (5,702-foot) high Gruenten mountain in southern Germany.
It quickly became a selfie magnet for hikers and even featured on Google Maps, where it was described as a “cultural monument.”
The sculpture toppled over several weeks ago, only to be erected again. Last weekend it vanished entirely, with only a pile of sawdust left behind.
Even as local police probe the disappearance, the tale took a further twist Thursday with the discovery that a new, slightly larger carving of male genitalia had appeared at the site, propped up with wooden beams.
Last week, local newspaper Allgaeuer Zeitung reported Monday that the 2-meter-tall (almost 7-foot) tall sculpture appeared to have been chopped down over the weekend, with just a sorry pile of sawdust left behind on the 1,738-meter (5,702-foot) high Gruenten mountain.
The male genitalia had gained celebrity status in recent years as a destination for hikers, and even appeared on Google Maps, where it was classified as a “cultural monument.”
Local lore has it that it was made as a prank birthday present for a young man whose family didn’t appreciate the gift and so the 200-kilogram (440-pound) sculpture was hauled up the mountain and left there.
(With inputs from AP)