Heinz Erhardt has been dead for 40 years, but the name of the comedian is still the topic of conversation in Göttingen: About three weeks ago, a memorial for the actor, who died in 1979, disappeared - and then reappeared just as unexpectedly.
The two-meter-high and about 20 kilograms heavy monument was found in the city center of Göttingen leaning against a tree, said a police spokeswoman. "It's not badly damaged either, it's just a bit bent on the foot." It's still in the police station, she said.
The officials are therefore looking for the perpetrators - a hot track, it seems, but not currently. The monument had been ripped from its pedestal on Heinz-Erhardt-Platz by unknown persons on 15 September. This resulted in damage of several thousand euros.
The Plexiglas monument, which was erected in 2003, shows Erhardt in his role as traffic police officer Eberhard Dobermann from the movie "Naturally the motorists" from 1959, which was shot in Göttingen. The civil servant, a decent pedant, still had to get his driver's license in his old days. Altogether Erhardt shot eight films in Göttingen between 1956 and 1960.