Bucharest Equestrian Statue Unveiling Postponed On Bronze Theft

The statue, for which the Bucharest City Hall paid 10.5 million lei (EUR1-RON 3.5909), was due for unveiling on December 1, Codre said.

 

“Normally, it (the statue – e.n.) was supposed to be unveiled on December 1, but I don’t know if I can finish it by then. Parts of the statue have been stolen from the art casting workshop and now I have to make it again,” he said.

 

The equestrian statue will weight some 9 tons and will be approximately 8 meters tall.

 

Mid-August, a group of unidentified men broke into the art casting workshop, tied up the guard and stole over a ton of bronze worth some RON17,000, including a 300-kilogram plate from the equestrian monument and several busts, according to the art casting’s owner, SC REC SRL.

 

The thieves also stole a pick-up truck to transport the stolen art, said SC REC’s economic manager, Nicolae Murareci.

 

“The police came, lifted fingertips. They looked busy, but they did not find the thieves. We are the ones left with the damages,” Murareci said.

 

“We have not found the car, or the stolen goods. We have a few leads, but they are very thin. There is no evidence in the case,” police commissioner in charge with the investigation, Liviu Barbos said.

 

The investigation is still ongoing, Barbos said.