Stolen gnomes, destroyed houses and games where nothing is left. Vandals have left a trail of destruction on the Kabouterpad in Boekel. At the beginning of this week, several gnomes and decor pieces were broken there. The second time in a short time. Much to the sorrow of the people who built the path with heart and soul. “What inspires those guys?” sighs Gerrie van Asseldonk.
Last year, she and more than twenty other volunteers built an entire gnome village along the hiking trails in the forests of Boekel. This has attracted hundreds of visitors in recent months. Children enjoy themselves there and the elderly from the adjacent care center also enjoy coming there.
But that cheerful gnome world had turned into a battlefield on Tuesday morning. One of the gnomes appeared to have been pulled out of the ground with brute force, deliberately smashing into the other set pieces. “The plexiglass windows of a small theater are out. Gnomes are broken and a mushroom has been crushed,” says Gerrie.
When she found the destruction, there were also many families with young children in the forest. “You have to tell them that there are also annoying people who break the gnomes,” says Gerrie sadly.
“While so many people enjoy it a lot. What’s gotten into you?”
She had to throw away several gnomes because they could no longer be repaired. And the educational games in the forest also suffered. “They cut the ropes that were stretched from tree to tree,” says Gerrie. “There were tears in my eyes when I saw it.”
It is the second time in a short time that the vandals have focused their sights on the gnome path. It happened a few weeks ago too. “While so many people enjoy it a lot. What gets into you?” Gerrie says angrily. Vandals recently also struck in the garden of the Sint Petrus care center next to the forest. There a large statue was beheaded in front of the entrance.
A carpenter is now working to restore the gnome path. Gerrie also contacted neighborhood watch. He immediately informed the police and boas. Additional checks will be carried out in the evenings in the near future.
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