Antwerp police have launched an investigation after a video emerged of two Germans climbing on top of Antwerp’s iconic Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, the largest church in Belgium.
The attention-grabbing video, currently circulating on YouTube, shows a pair of dare-devils illegally entering the Cathedral and climbing the steep, narrow stairs of the cathedral tower.
They then made the final ascent to the spire’s weathervane, situated 123 metres above ground level, where they performed acrobatic stunts and hazardous high-altitude antics.
The local police have also seen the video and are working to verify the authenticity of the video and to identify the key players behind the incident. "Whilst no suspects have yet come to light, our investigation is in full swing," said Kim Bastiaens of the Antwerp Police.
Credit: YouTube
"We have commissioned a specialised firm to assess whether the stunt has resulted in any structural damage to either the tower or the spire. We will document and analyse this in a comprehensive manner." Meanwhile, experts are investigating structural changes that are needed to prevent this from happening again.
The cathedral houses a number of important works of art, including several paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. The ground floor where these are located is therefore equipped with an alarm system.
However, it did not go off, meaning the suspects definitely could not have entered through this floor. "They must have entered at a higher level," the church's priest Bart Paepen told VRT NWS. "So there was never any danger to the works of art."
Both Paepen and many YouTube users criticised the pair for climbing the historic building. "This is not responsible behaviour, and I hope no one is inspired by the success on social media to try something similar," Paepen said. "One day it will go wrong."
The reckless practice of unlawfully climbing tall, renowned buildings is a trend that proliferated in the United States and Russia. The people scaling these structures often film the deed, as the videos are often heavily viewed on social media. The YouTube page of the German pair shows them regularly climbing tall buildings. Under their video, they add a warning to viewers not to 'imitate the stunts'.
