LKA gibt Heiligenfiguren an Tschechien zurück
Bavarian state police (LKA) have returned five stolen religious sculptures—saints and angel figures—to Czech authorities. The artworks, some dating back centuries, were stolen from Czech churches as early as 1993 and later offered for online sale in Bavaria and Berlin. The handover ceremony took place in Prague, coordinated with Germany's Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM).
This restitution matters because it highlights ongoing cross-border cooperation in recovering looted cultural heritage, particularly religious artifacts vulnerable to theft from Central and Eastern European churches. The case underscores the role of specialized art crime units and digital marketplaces in both facilitating and combating the illicit trade in antiquities.