On the classifieds website a man from the Tukums region is offering to purchase the historic cobblestone for €3 apiece. He told Latvian Radio that he had purchased the cobblestones in Liepāja but became suspicious and rather reticent.
The last time Sweden-made cobblestone was used in Liepāja was when it was built into the road by the tram tracks, worked into some sections of the streets as well as in parking lots instead of a green zone.
Mārtiņš Jākobsons from the Communal Management at the City Council of Liepāja said that during construction the cobblestone was actively moved, but it had been followed throughout the process.
"Yes, the city has its own warehouse where these materials used in construction are stored. Yes, we have an employee there and we also try going there ourselves at least few times a month," said Jākobsons.
There is no evidence that the seller of cobblestone is saying the truth and had really bough the stones in Liepāja, but Jākobsons voiced a few possible scenarios as to how the cultural heritage came into hands of illegal sellers.
"As for where else it can be obtained, there are many cases when this historic cobblestone has been used in private territories. Swedish cobblestone - I don't know when exactly it appeared in the city, but many use it for building communications, fences or drive-ins. Sometimes these cobblestones are found in sizable pockets. We would like to presume [that the current cobblestones] possibly are from a private territory, so we have no influence over getting the cobblestones back. So it could appear on sale here or there," said Jākobsons.
While Ilze Svilpe, head of the Kurzeme district of the VKPAI, begs to differ: "I don't know if [such a scenario] is possible, as cobblestone is paved on the streets, isn't it? It cannot be in the property of an individual. I don't recall a case when we have checked whether there's all the cobblestone that was removed from the streets and where it was placed. I don't recall a case like that," she said.
Svile said that according to the law if cobblestone is found during construction, the find has to be reported to the VKPAI within five days. However, there have been no such cases within the last five years.
There is also a potential accounting problem for the cobblestones too as they aren't counted but rather measured in tons and cubic meters.
