Lindenberg is a cult figure in Germany, and the living legend has a bronze effigy in his hometown. Cracked, temporarily replaced and now stolen, “Gronau’s statue of liberty” has faced many challenges within three years.A statue of Germany’s rock legend Udo Lindenberg was stolen in Gronau at some point over the weekend — but no one noticed that the work was missing until a couple of days later, even though it used to stand at a roundabout in the small town in western Germany.
In the notice they posted on Facebook on Wednesday, police of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia quoted lyrics from different Lindenberg songs.
Germany’s cult rocker
Udo Lindenberg was born in Gronau, close to the Dutch border. The town is so proud of its famous son that not only did fans name a square after the rock idol — they even erected a larger-than-life bronze statue of the rock singer.
The rock star himself unveiled the statue on his 69th birthday in May 2015, calling it “Gronau’s statue of liberty.”
However, the statue had to be removed in April this year for repairs after a crack appeared around the figure’s ankle. Tests are currently being conducted to determine if the statue is, in fact, really made of bronze.
In the meantime, a smaller version of Lindenberg’s statue had been set up to replace the original work during its restoration. Known as the Linden-Zwerg (Linden-dwarf), the 1.3-meter-high (4.3-foot-high) statue, which reportedly cost €7,750 ($9,000), was the one stolen over the weekend.
Gronau has also made Lindenberg an honorary citizen of the town and celebrates him in its rock’n’pop museum, located on a street named after him, the Udo-Lindenberg-Platz.
Last May, the rock star also opened a museum in Hamburg, Panic City, celebrating his own career.
