Overview
- Police said the roughly 300-kilogram bronze bell, valued at about €10,000, will be handed back to the Evangelische Kirchengemeinde in Neue Vahr.
- The bell surfaced when an employee who had bought it from two men unknowingly contacted authorities, allowing investigators to secure it.
- The theft occurred in the night to Tuesday after an earlier attempt two weeks prior, when the mounting was removed and the church had added a chain and lock.
- Pastor Angela Walther described the congregation and neighborhood as shocked and saddened, noting the bell’s role as a daily touchpoint on the plaza between the church, a daycare, and a social thrift store.
- No arrests have been announced as the investigation continues, and the congregation is weighing site repairs after a resident briefly hung a small porcelain bell as a gesture.