Romanian City Welcomes Mysterious Monolith Like One Found In Utah Park

The Romanian mysterious monolith has proven to be significantly less cryptic than its Utah counterpart. When the structure appeared shortly after the discovery of the monolith in Utah, Redditors assumed that the culprit may be aliens – but local reports find the answer is likely much simpler than that.

Last Thursday, just days after the Utah monolith disappeared, residents in the Romanian city of Piatra Neamt found a mysterious metal structure near the Petrodava Dacian Fortress archaeological site. Like the Utah sculpture, the piece appeared somewhere between 10- and 12-feet tall, made from a reflective metal, and shallowly rooted in the surrounding soil.

Social media users and residents alike immediately started comparing the Piatra Neamt structure to the one sighted in Utah, but unlike Utah park officials, the mayor of the city, Andrei Carabelea, seemed to welcome the installation with open arms.

“These days our city is back in the world’s attention, and this time it’s nothing scary, nothing scary,” Carabelea posted on Facebook, in Romanian. “Or at least, there is no reason to panic for those who think there is still life in the universe. Piatra Neamt hosts a mysterious object. My guess is that some alien, cheeky and terrible teenagers left home with their parents UFO and started planting metal monoliths around the world. First in Utah and then at Piatra Neamt. I am honored that they chose our city. I would have appreciated their bold gesture more if they followed the rules and followed the legal steps to obtain a building permit. We will try to clear the legal situation of the monolith and discover the troublemakers. We will still be tolerant of them if the new goal attracts more tourists. Beyond the conspiracy theories that can be tempting, I’d like to see this randomness as further proof that our city is special. For the earthlings and (maybe) not only.”

However, the potential tourist attraction was soon removed, and seemed to have very pointedly human origins.

50 Best Photos Of The Year 2020

“The 2.8 metre (9ft) tall structure disappeared overnight as quietly as it was erected last week,” journalist Robert Losub of the Ziar Piatra Neamt local newspaper said. “An unidentified person, apparently a bad local welder, made it … now all that remains is just a small hole covered by rocky soil.”

Apparently, the structure was made out of simple sheet metal, and the joins were badly welded.

Neamt Culture and Heritage official Rocsana Josanu said that they are still looking for the creator of the monolith, who could face charges for the illegally installed artwork.

“‘Before installing something there, they needed permission from our institution, one that must then be approved by the Ministry of Culture,” Josanu said.