“Most brutal vandalism”: Our Father column vandalized

"Brutal vandalism" at the Evangelical St. Peter's Church: Unknown persons have broken off the Lord's Prayer column.

The police are looking for witnesses.

Geretsried – Who does something like that?

Unknown people intentionally broke off the Our Father column in front of the Evangelical St. Peter's Church in Geretsried on Saturday night.

The Geretsried police estimate the damage at 6,000 euros.

Arborists discovered at 7 a.m. that the bronze sculpture, which usually stands on the green area on Egerlandstraße, was lying on the ground.

"It was completely torn off at a height of about 20 centimeters," reports Pastor Georg Bücheler.

Overall, the sculpture is 3.90 meters high.

Helpers from the parish brought the destroyed column to safety and dismantled the sharp-edged rest.

Now only the foundation can be seen.

Geretsried: Vandalism at St. Peter's Church - Our Father Column destroyed

In 2007 the work of art was inaugurated at St. Peter's Church.

It was created by the sculptor Otto Süssbauer from the Mooseurach district of Königsdorf.

The Our Father Pillar consists of the words of prayer cast in filigree script and welded together in loose order.

A forerunner of the sculpture was in the cultural autumn of 2006. The believers liked the iron column so much that they collected donations in order to be able to buy it in a somewhat larger and more elegant form.

The city also gave money because the sculpture also decorates the center.

Bücheler speaks of "the most brutal vandalism".

This is not to be understood as an attack against the community, but as "letting go of aggression - against whatever".

He hopes that the police can solve the case.

The church council must decide whether the congregation will have the column repaired, if possible.

"I assume it is an important symbol," said the pastor.

"You can no longer leave anything in public space."

Süssbauer has brought his work back to the workshop twice already.

In 2016 someone had caused dents and cracks with kicks.

Two years ago, a storm knocked down the column.

"We managed it so that you didn't see anything if you didn't know it," says Süssbauer.

For the sculptor, the renewed frenzy of destruction is annoying, to say the least.

"You can no longer leave anything in public space."

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witness references

The Geretsried police asks witnesses who can give clues to the perpetrator or perpetrators to contact the inspection, telephone 0 81 71/9 35 10.

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