Thursday, the City of New Ulm reported the theft of three flags from the park. The flags of Ulm, Germany, Neu Ulm, Germany and the German national flag were taken some time in the last two weeks.

Park and Recreation Director Tom Schmitz said the exact day the flags were stolen is unknown. In addition to taking the three flags, the rope system for the Ulm and Neu Ulm flag pole was cut.

This makes raising new flags difficult. A bucket truck is now required to place the flags, adding extra cost to the city. The three stolen flags were estimated to cost $800 to replace.

Schmitz said the Ulm and Neu Ulm flags were already difficult to replace because they are rare flags.

The flags of the city of Ulm and Neu Ulm are shown.

“Who carries a Neu Ulm, Deutschland flag?” Schmitz asked. “We have to get them from Germany and they are very expensive. They are more than a piece of fabric.”

The German flag was relatively easy to replace because the flag is less rare. In addition, the rope system was not cut on the German flag pole. The city was able to replace the German flag the day it was reported stolen.

The replacement German flag was stolen in less than 24-hours.

Friday morning only seven flags remain in Schonlau park, including flags of Bavaria, City of New Ulm, Minnesota, Baden-Württemberg, Canada and the United States. Unfortunately, the city is removing all the flags because there is no system in place to prevent further theft.

Schmitz said all flags will be taken out of Schonlau Park until the flag thief is apprehended or a theft-proof system is installed. Possible theft deterrents include security cameras or an internal flag raising system to prevent tampering. Schmitz said all of these options would be expensive to the city.

There is a possibility of recovering the flags if the thief is identified. No witnesses to the flag theft have come forward, but the unique nature of the Ulm and Neu Ulm flags could help with recovery. The Ulm flag is black on top and white on the bottom. The Neu Ulm flag is blue on top, white middle and black bottom.

Flags have been a part of Schonlau park since the installation of the Glockenspiel. During the dedication of the Glockenspiel in 1980, the inclusion of the flags was announced.

The Heymann family donated money to display the first eight flags to symbolize a strong sister-city and namesake-city relationship with friends in Germany.

Then-Mayor Carl Wyczawski wrote the mayors of Ulm and Neu Ulm about the projects and immediately the cities responded by shipping flags to New Ulm. These flags were a part of Schonlau park’s tradition for 40 years, but criminal activity has put the tradition on hold.