The statue of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, has been recovered by municipal employees in Lugano, Switzerland, after it was reported stolen and thrown into Lake Lugano over the weekend.
The statue, created by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi, had been unveiled in October 2024 after 21 months of planning and building, rapidly turning into a logo for the worldwide Bitcoin neighborhood.
Particulars of the restoration
Metropolis employees found the statue in a number of items alongside the riverbank and within the lake, suggesting it was vandalized fairly than stolen for revenue.
Satoshigallery, the artwork collective behind the set up, famous that the statue had solely been welded to its base at two factors—its ft remained hooked up to the bottom after the remainder was eliminated.
Satoshigallery had supplied a 0.1 BTC reward, valued at over $11,000, for the statue’s restoration.
The vandalism drew sturdy reactions from the Bitcoin neighborhood.
Gabor Gurbacs, founder and CEO of Pointsville, commented on social media:
“Such a tasteless and silly factor to do. Hope they discover who did it.”
Some, together with the pseudonymous advocate Gritto, speculated that the act could have been dedicated by intoxicated partygoers celebrating Swiss Nationwide Day.
image of resilience
Regardless of the assault, the Bitcoin artwork collective stays dedicated to its mission.
Satoshigallery said:
“You’ll be able to steal our image, however you’ll by no means have the ability to steal our souls.”
The group reiterated plans to put in comparable statues in 21 areas worldwide, underscoring the enduring affect of Satoshi Nakamoto’s legacy.