Dozens of works of art and antiquities have been damaged on Berlin’s famous museum island, in an apparently deliberate series of attacks that has prompted a police investigation.
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Police confirmed media reports on the suspected vandalism on Wednesday, without giving further details.
Around 70 artifacts were said to have been sprayed with an oily liquid at a number of locations at the museum complex, which has UNESCO World Heritage Status and is one of the German capital’s most popular attractions.
These include objects in the Pergamon Museum, the New Museum, the Old National Gallery and other locations. The damage occurred on Oct. 3, but has only been made public now.
The German daily Zeit described the vandalism as one of the most extensive attacks on works of art and antiquities in the history of post-war Germany.
Among the damaged items are Egyptian sarcophagi, stone sculptures and 19th-century paintings. The liquid has left visible stains on them, the reports say.
The incidents occurred on German Unity Day, which this year marked 30 years since the end of Germany’s Cold War division.
It remains unclear whether this day was chosen deliberately.
Police have launched an investigation into suspected criminal damage.
According to the Tagesspiegel newspaper, museum visitors who had tickets on Oct. 3, were urged to come forward with information.
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