Stickers on restored Zugspitze cross: Offenders report themselves

Vandals have once again defaced the cross atop Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze, by sticking unauthorized labels on it, just months after an extensive restoration.

The Bavarian Zugspitzbahn, which operates the mountain railway, appealed for information on Instagram, sharing a photo of two individuals appearing to apply stickers. The appeal, captioned "Oida, are you serious?!", emphasized that defacing the summit cross is not a harmless prank but property damage and a criminal offense.

Fortunately, the appeal yielded results. The individuals responsible have since contacted the Zugspitzbahn, a development the railway's spokesperson, Laura Schaper, expressed delight over. The focus now shifts to a joint effort to remove the stickers, and the railway has decided against filing charges.

This incident follows a significant restoration effort. The 4.88-meter, 300-kilogram cross was flown to a workshop for cleaning and regilding, a process that required approximately 900 gold leaf sheets and cost a low five-figure euro sum, excluding transport. The Zugspitzbahn had previously installed a smaller replica cross at the mountain station for visitors to use for photos and to stick items on, hoping to deter vandalism on the original. While this indoor replica had been largely successful, stickers have reappeared on the actual summit cross, prompting the railway to issue a stern warning about potential consequences.