New phallus sculpture appears on mountain in Germany

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A wooden phallus sculpture about two meters tall stands on the Grünten mountain in Germany, Dec. 3, 2020. (Davor Knappmayer/picture alliance photo via Getty Images)

BERLIN (AP) - Just days after a large phallus sculpture mysteriously disappeared from a Bavarian mountainside, a similar wooden carving has appeared in its place, German news agency dpa reported Thursday.

The saga began several years ago when a 2-meter-tall (almost 7-foot) tall sculpture appeared on the 1,738-meter (5,702-foot) high Gruenten mountain in southern Germany.

It quickly became a selfie magnet for hikers and even featured on Google Maps, where it was described as a "cultural monument." 

The sculpture toppled over several weeks ago, only to be erected again. Last weekend it vanished entirely, with only a pile of sawdust left behind.

• Giant phallus statue on mountain vanishes

Even as local police probe the disappearance, the tale took a further twist Thursday with the discovery that a new, slightly larger carving of male genitalia had appeared at the site, propped up with wooden beams.

A wooden phallus sculpture about two meters tall stands on the Grünten mountain, Rettenberg, Bavaria, Germany, Dec. 3, 2020. (Photo by Davor Knappmayer/picture alliance via Getty Images)