Panic in Berlin’s Museum Island, mystery shrouding the vandalism attacks

Dozens of artifacts and Artistical works in the most famous museums in Berlin were vandalized by unknown people, and the German authorities reserve this vandalism for nearly two weeks.

During a press conference, Christina Hack, deputy director of Berlin State Museums, told reporters that the vandalism occurred by spraying an oily liquid that left visible spots on nearly 70 pieces in total, including 16 stone sculptures and Egyptian sarcophagi, In addition to the frames for valuable nineteenth century paintings in three institutions on the UNESCO-listed Museum Island in the German capital.

The national media described this vandalism as, “one of the largest attacks on art and antiquities in the history of Germany after the war.”

The LKA State Criminal Investigation Office (LKA), which is responsible for investigating the most serious crimes, has stated that it has opened an investigation into damage to the artworks and artifacts displayed in museums.

The police think that the sabotage occurred on October 3, the date that coincides with the official national holiday of German Unity Day, during working hours at the Pergamon Museum, Neues, the the National alte and other sites, and the museum employee informed the responsible for the damage to the pieces, And the officials informed the “LKA” two days after the accident.

Carsten Pfull, head of the Criminal Division at LKA, declared in a press conference that the case was not announced at the beginning to protect the investigation and out of the “consideration” of loaned business owners.

And he added that there were about 3,000 people who visited the museums that day and that the initial inspection of the security camera did not reveal any suspects.

German Minister of Culture, Monica Grüders, expressed her shock at the acts of vandalism, saying: “Apart from the damage to property, such attacks show a deep contempt for all artistic works and cultural achievements.”

The director of the Egyptian group, Frederick Seyfried, said that the restoration work will be “large-scale” and complicated because the colorless oily liquid contaminates many different types of materials and cannot be wiped out with petrol only. And she described the attack as a “painful experience that we did not expect,” and added that a complete inventory has been carried out For damaged collections in museums, but the total damage can only be estimated when restoration work is complete.

In an initial statement, the investigators said they had not identified any possible motive.

A joint article published by the weekly newspaper Die Zeit and public broadcaster Deutschland Funk, which reported the news of the assault for the first time late last Tuesday, indicated that the activist “Attila Heldman” who criticized government measures to contain the coronavirus, Covid 19,was published in August and September strange conspiracy theories about Museum Island.

But “Carsten Pfull,” the head of the criminal department at LKA, said that the police “will not participate in such speculation” about a possible connection with Heldman and that the investigation is continuing its proceedings.

The Tagesspiegel newspaper in Berlin, said that police had contacted with museum visitors who had booked tickets for October 3 to request assistance with the investigation.

And it is noteworthy that the Museum Island in Berlin, attracts about three million visitors every year and it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and it is home to valuable artifacts, including a mythical bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti and the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.

الآثاري أو (TheArchaeologist.news) عبارة عن منصة رقمية غير ربحية على الإنترنت مخصصة لأخبار التراث، الثقافة، الفن والآثار. تهدف إلى جمع علماء الآثار حول العالم المهتمين بالتراث الثقافي والمواقع الأثرية في الشرق الأوسط. تهدف منصتنا لخلق روابط بين المبادرات المحلية والنشطاء الذين يعملون على حماية التراث الثقافي في المنطقة والأشخاص في المجالات ذات الصلة بعلم الآثار.

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