European city asks tourists to stop stealing ancient cobblestones
As many as 70 cobblestones disappear from the Belgian city each month
JaneWalter
A city in Belgium has told tourists to stop stealing cobblestones from its historic centre after losing up to 70 each month during peak season.
Bruges, the capital of West Flanders and a Unesco World Heritage Site has warned holidaymakers that its stones are not souvenirs.
City councillor Franky Demon recently claimed that the medieval city is losing between 50 and 70 cobblestones each month to visitor pockets, with repair costs of around €200 (£168) per square metre of stones.
He urged tourists: “We ask for nothing but respect. Walking in Bruges means treading on centuries of history. Please leave these stones where they belong,” reported The Brussels Times.
According to Demon, local spots such as Minnewater, Vismarkt, the Grand Place and the Gruuthuse Museum are rapidly losing cobbles, creating a safety hazard for pedestrians.
In a statement to CNN, he said: “While some may see this as harmless or quirky, the consequences are serious. The removal of cobblestones poses a clear safety risk to both residents and visitors. Missing or loosened stones create tripping hazards, and city workers must frequently be dispatched to carry out repairs.”
Demon added that the cobblestones are “part of our city’s soul” and should be left intact for future visitors.
It’s not the first time locals in Bruges have taken action against tourism.
Last July, a tour guide in Bruges was pushed off a bridge in front of a horrified group of tourists for “destroying” the city’s cultural heritage by sitting down.
Pascal Gerritsen, a 31-year-old Dutch tour guide, was sent tumbling into the Dijver Canal when an unidentified man on a bicycle shoved him off his perch on St Bonifacius Bridge.
A man who called himself the “Masked Lover of Architecture” told VRT that he was the one who deliberately pushed Pascal as he has “no respect for architecture”.
“It is forbidden to use street furniture, eg benches, dustbins, lampposts, to address tour participants,” the assailant wrote of his motivation.
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