Uruguay to Melt Down Bronze Nazi Eagle and Recast It as Dove

The 350-kilogram eagle was found at the bottom of the Rio de la Plata in 2006. The new statue was announced after a legal battle between the government and the salvagers who found the eagle.Uruguay will melt down a bronze Nazi eagle recovered from a sunken German warship and recast it into a dove of peace, President Luis Lacalle Pou announced on Friday.

Also Read | Money Laundering Case: ED Summons DMK Leader Senthil Balaji's Brother, Wife for Questioning.

The 350-kilogram (770-pound), two-meter (6.5-foot)-tall is emblazoned with a Nazi swastika.

Also Read | 'Earliest Animal' Fossil of Indian Dickinsonia in Bhimbetka Turns Out To Be Left-Over Impression of Beehive.

The statue adorned Nazi Germany's Admiral Graf Spee battleship that was scuttled during World War II. It was uncovered at the bottom of the Rio de la Plata almost two decades ago.

"In times of division, violence, war in the world, we want to set a sign of peace," Lacalle Pou told reporters in Montevideo.

Famed sculptor tapped for project

The new dove sculpture will be made by famed Uruguayan artist Pablo Atchugarry.

He said it would be a "long and hard" process to recast the statue, which is expected to be completed around November.

The president of Uruguay meanwhile said that an exact location for the sculpture had not been determined.

But he added that it could be placed in the coastal city of Punta del Este, where the Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean.

A long legal battle

The bronze Nazi eagle was uncovered by a team of marine salvagers in 2006 after a 10-year-long search.

The treasure hunters had signed an agreement with the Uruguayan navy two years earlier to share the proceeds of the find 50-50.

In 2019, a court ruled that the sculpture must be sold, reiterating that half the proceeds going to the government and half to the salvage team

But the salvagers later filed a lawsuit claiming the government reneged on that deal.

In 2021, Uruguay's Supreme Court ruled that the eagle was the property of the state.

zc/wd (AFP, dpa, EFE)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2023 06:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).