2 weeks ago
10
The Bitcoin community was left stunned after a life-sized statue of the cryptocurrency’s pseudonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, was stolen, vandalised, and dumped in a lake in Lugano, Switzerland.
The incident occurred just one year after the statue was unveiled, marking another mysterious chapter in the ongoing legacy of Bitcoin’s creator.
The steel sculpture, created by Satoshigallery, was designed to symbolise anonymity, with a fragmented, fading effect and a hooded figure seated cross-legged.
While the statue has been recovered, it is now damaged, and questions remain over who took it, why it was targeted, and whether legal action will follow.
Statue stolen and destroyed in Lugano
On 3 August 2025, Satoshigallery announced on X that the statue had been stolen from its location in Lugano.
Only the two welded feet remained bolted to its base.
The team offered a 0.1 BTC bounty for information that could lead to its recovery.
Where is Satoshi? We are offering 0.1 btc to whoever will help us recovering the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto that was stolen yesterday in Lugano. You can steal our symbol but you will never be able to steal our souls. Thank you all for the nice messages. We are all in this
The post read, “We are offering 0.1 BTC to whoever will help us recover the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto that was stolen yesterday in Lugano.”
Just hours later, the creators confirmed that the statue had been found in a nearby lake.
It was no longer intact, having been broken apart, which suggested deliberate vandalism.
While the statue was retrieved, its restoration will require significant work.
Reports of drunken vandalism on Swiss National Day
The theft may have taken place during the Swiss National Day celebrations on 1 August.
X user Gritto claimed he was in the park near the statue that evening and saw a group of intoxicated individuals celebrating near an open-air café close to the installation.
Those are my photos. Ockham’s razor, my theory is as follow. I was in the parc on August 1st at night. It was still there. Twas Swiss National day. Many youngsters went drunk on the open aur café just besdide the statue. On their way back home they just had “fun” with the statue
According to his account, the area was crowded, and the statue was still standing at that time.
Gritto suggested that the group, possibly seeking mischief, could have dislodged the sculpture, which was attached at only two points.
Due to its weight and the security presence in the area, he speculated they may have decided to throw it into the lake rather than attempt to carry it away.
Community calls for accountability
The incident triggered an outpouring of reactions from the Bitcoin community. Morfeo, a well-known Bitcoiner, described the act as “an absolute disgrace” on X.
It’s an absolute disgrace that someone did this, but I’m glad that the statue has been recovered. Hopefully, it will be back on display soon.
Former VanEck executive Gabor Gurbacs also condemned the theft and vandalism as “tasteless” and urged that those responsible be identified and prosecuted.
Such a tasteless and stupid thing to do. Hope they find who did it.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, who had earlier called for swift action to recover the statue, posted again to celebrate its return.
While the damaged monument has been retrieved, Satoshigallery has not disclosed who was behind the act or provided details about the investigation.
The post Satoshi Nakamoto statue theft and recovery in Lugano leaves community shocked appeared first on Invezz
English (US) ·