This European city is urging tourists to stop stealing cobblestones
Plenty of us feel that a little part of every city we visit stays with us once we've arrived home, but tourists in Bruges are reportedly taking things a bit too literally.
City councillor Franky Demon has urged tourists to stop picking up cobblestones from the city's streets to take away as souvenirs, as it shows the city great disrespect.
The old town of Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage site, after all, yet iconic local spots like Vismarkt, Minnewater, the Grand Palace and the Grutthuse Museum are apparently losing between 50 and 70 cobblestones each month.
While that figure might not sound too crazy, there are two reasons it's a problem. The first of these is the simple fact that it's damaging to the city's heritage.
'We ask for nothing but respect. Walking in Bruges means treading on centuries of history,' said the councillor, according to The Brussels Times, 'Please leave these stones where they belong.'
Then there's the cost of repairing them. Not only are the gaps left by missing stones a hazard for pedestrians, but filling them in again costs around €200 per square metre.
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