Thieves took advantage of a renovation project’s scaffolding to steal some of the leaves that make up one of Vienna’s most recognizable landmarks, the ‘golden cabbage’ dome of the Secession building.
The building, an art museum since it opened in 1898 as a gallery for Klimt and other artists who walked out of the ‘official’ art scene, has been getting ready to celebrate its 120th anniversary this year. Both the building, by Joseph Maria Olbrich, and the works it was created for have achieved lasting fame, but were controversial at the time.
The stolen leaves are about 60 cm long and are coated with gold leaf. Altogether there about 2,500 of them, and it is not known exactly when the missing ones were taken. They are valued at about €1,000 each.
