Theft of the golden Leibniz cookie
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The theft of the golden Leibniz cookie was a theft that took place in 2013 in Hanover, Lower Saxony in Germany. This gilded brass representation of the Leibniz cookie, created by sculptor Georg Herting around 1910, garnered significant media attention both nationally and internationally. The incident involved a ransom demand and an unusual resolution that included charitable donations. Despite the extensive coverage, the identity of the thieves was never discovered.
In early 2013, no later than January 21, 2013, the golden Leibniz cookie was stolen from the facade of the headquarters of the cookie manufacturer Bahlsen by thieves who remain unidentified to this day (2023).[1] The stolen item was a gilded brass depiction of a Leibniz cookie, weighing around 20 kilograms, created by the sculptor Georg Herting around 1910, along with the pretzel-shaped figures known as the Brezelmänner (Pretzel Men). Shortly after the theft, the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung and Bahlsen received a ransom note. The note, which included a photo of an unidentified person dressed in a Cookie Monster costume posing with the cookie, demanded that Bahlsen donate chocolate cookies to the children's hospital auf der Bult and the €1,000 reward to an animal shelter in Langenhagen. Otherwise, the note threatened, the golden cookie would be sent "to Oscar in the trash can."[2][3]
In a press conference on January 30, Bahlsen refused to comply with the extortionist's demands. Instead, the company offered to donate 52,000 packs of cookies to 52 social institutions if the cookie was returned.[4] In response, the perpetrator, in a second letter dated February 4, expressed willingness to return the cookie, mentioning Bahlsen's managing director, Werner Michael Bahlsen, by name.[5] The cookie was eventually found on February 5, tied with a red ribbon to the bronze statue of the Lower Saxony horse in front of Leibniz University in Hanover.[6] The police confirmed that it was indeed the stolen cookie[7][8] and launched an investigation against the unknown perpetrators for theft and extortion. The State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony examined the recovered cookie for fingerprints, DNA, and fiber traces.[9]
In a third letter dated February 7, the Cookie Monster urged Bahlsen to fulfill its promise.[10] On February 8, the company confirmed that it would honor its commitment and invited all interested charitable organizations to apply for a cookie donation.[11]
On February 14, 2013, the TV magazine RTL Explosiv aired an anonymous interview with three men and a woman who claimed to be the perpetrators.[12][13] After the cookie was returned, the Hanover public prosecutor's office reclassified the initially suspected crimes of attempted extortion and theft as property damage. A day later, on March 14, Bahlsen announced the recipients of the cookie donations, selected by a lottery, and began distribution.[14] In May 2013, the Hanover public prosecutor's office closed the case, as the identity of the perpetrators could not be determined.[15]
