Thieves stole the metal cladding of the Minaret in Lednice

Lednice (Břeclavsko) - Thieves stole the cladding of one of the most famous landmarks in Lednice in the Břeclav region last week. They primarily took the cladding from the local Minaret, causing damage of 150,000 crowns. They exploited the fact that the monument is under reconstruction, said Břeclav police spokesperson Kamila Haraštová to ČTK.
    According to her, the thieves first removed the chain with a padlock at the entrance gate and drove their vehicle into the park. They drove up to the lookout tower, which is currently being reconstructed. They used scaffolding to climb onto the roof and gradually began tearing off the copper sheets.
    "They managed to obtain the newly laid cladding from part of the pent roof and then stole the original sheets from two domes. They left no copper crowns from all four domes unnoticed," Haraštová stated. The police are searching for the thieves.
    This year's planned repairs for the Minaret will cost 14 million crowns. It was in a very poor condition. It had damaged rafters, facade, and possibly the most demanding part was securing its stability. The tower stands in a floodplain landscape on approximately 500 oak poles driven into the ground. Before the repairs, there were three-centimeter cracks in the walls.
    The Minaret is part of the Lednice-Valtice area. These are structures that the princely family of Liechtenstein had built to beautify the castle park. Lednice Castle is the most visited monument in Moravia. Over 320,000 tourists from around the world pass through it annually. The castle, along with its park and salets, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.