A surprised crowd watched the restoration from the lake of the statue of Satoshi Nakamoto, image of Bitcoin and the crypto revolution in Switzerland, after it had disappeared and not using a hint from Parco Ciani di Lugano underneath mysterious circumstances.
JUST IN: The Satoshi statue in Lugano,🇨🇭 Switzerland seems to have been stolen 😮
By way of @Grittoshi pic.twitter.com/vyQpn7JkoX
— Bitcoin Information (@BitcoinNewsCom) August 2, 2025
What occurred to the statue of Satoshi Nakamoto in Lugano?
The sculpture, created by the artist Valentina Picozzi along with the collective Satoshigallery, had been positioned on the Foce del Cassarate in October 2024, rapidly turning into one of the crucial iconic installations devoted to Bitcoin in Europe. A couple of days in the past, the statue was faraway from the pedestal and thrown into the lake by a gaggle of youths, as decided by surveillance footage analyzed by the Lugano police.
It was subsequently not an organized theft, as initially hypothesized, however an act of vandalism documented within the photos recorded shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday. The police commander, Roberto Torrente, confirmed to RSI that the accountable events had been a gaggle of younger folks, whose identities are being verified.
Dove è Satoshi?
Stiamo offrendo 0.1 btc a chiunque ci aiuterà a recuperare la Statua di Satoshi Nakamoto che è stata rubata ieri a Lugano.
Puoi rubare il nostro simbolo ma non potrai mai rubare le nostre anime.
Grazie a tutti per i bei messaggi.
Siamo tutti in questo… https://t.co/cAGCqg4CuP pic.twitter.com/iGrBOdVYhe
— Satoshigallery (@satoshigallery) 3 agosto 2025
How did the restoration of the statue from the lake happen?
The restoration of the statue of Satoshi Nakamoto passed off on the morning of Sunday, August 3, 2025, because of the divers from the Swiss Rescue Society Lugano part. The work, discovered damaged as a result of impression with the water, lastly grew to become seen once more after greater than twenty-four hours of absence, placing an finish to the preliminary unfounded theories in regards to the theft.
Instead, the place the pedestal was situated in Parco Ciani, some flowers have been left by residents and members of the crypto group, as a testomony to how a lot the statue had already acquired a robust symbolic worth amongst fans and residents.
Why is the statue devoted to Bitcoin so essential?
The work celebrated the founding father of Bitcoin, recognized with the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, and represented the hyperlink between Lugano and the crypto world. The Swiss metropolis, a widely known European hub for DeFi and blockchain applied sciences, has invested closely in selling an setting conducive to monetary innovation, a lot in order that the set up of the statue in October 2024 was hailed as a vital step for the worldwide visibility of this ecosystem.
Based on many observers, this sculpture had develop into in just a few weeks a form of “monument to anonymity,” according to the open and decentralized philosophy on which Bitcoin relies. It’s subsequently not shocking the indignant response of the group after the vandalism suffered by the monument.
What are the reactions of the crypto group and establishments?
The fast response from the artist Valentina Picozzi and the collective Satoshigallery: by means of a press launch shared on social channels, they introduced that the statue “shall be recreated and offered at their very own expense” and that the town shall be concerned once more, this time to make sure an sufficient and protected placement able to defending it.
Not solely that: a gaggle of residents and activists has already launched a public petition to induce the Municipality of Lugano to supply logistical help so as to restore and improve the work. The aim is to make sure that comparable episodes don’t recur and that the statue devoted to Satoshi Nakamoto can lengthy function some extent of reference for Bitcoin fans and guests.
What are the petition promoters asking for?
The promoters, in just a few hours, collected dozens of signatures and requested “visibility, enhancement, and safety” for the brand new sculpture, emphasizing the cultural, academic, and vacationer position {that a} monument like this may play for a metropolis that wishes to current itself because the European capital of decentralized finance.
The injury suffered by the statue, subsequently, turns into a possibility to relaunch the controversy on the security of public works, the centrality of innovation, and the id of the territory. A robust sign for a Lugano more and more dedicated to confirming its place within the world crypto panorama.
What occurs now: timing, prospects, and impression on the group
The episode of vandalism didn’t cease the group; quite the opposite: Bitcoin and the id of Satoshi Nakamoto are greater than ever on the focal point in Lugano. The brand new model of the statue, already introduced by the artist, will quickly be repositioned with the involvement of native establishments. The hope, expressed by Picozzi and Satoshigallery, is that this time it may be appreciated and higher protected.
Within the meantime, the compact response of the crypto and citizen group represents a turning level: the petition places strain on the authorities in order that this matter doesn’t go unnoticed and turns right into a optimistic instance of resilience and participation.
The main focus is now on the date when the statue shall be repositioned: an introduced occasion that guarantees to be wealthy in significance for these following the Bitcoin revolution and the historical past of decentralization in Europe.