German Police Probe Mystery of Missing Giant Phallus Statue

BERLIN (AP) — Police in Germany have opened an investigation into the disappearance of a large wooden sculpture of a phallus from a mountainside where it appeared without explanation several years ago.

Local newspaper Allgaeuer Zeitung reported Monday that the almost 7-foot tall sculpture appeared to have been chopped down over the weekend, with just a sorry pile of sawdust left behind on the 5,702-foot-high Gruenten mountain.

The male genitalia had gained celebrity status as a destination for hikers and even appeared on Google Maps, where it was called a “cultural monument.”

Local lore says it was a prank birthday present for a young man whose family didn’t appreciate it and so the 440-pound sculpture was hauled up the mountain and left there.