City-owned stones removed from Lentävänniemi likely reused in private yard

Dozens of stones belonging to the City of Tampere were taken from public land in Lentävänniemi last week, Aamulehti reported.

City nature-management specialist Heli Vuorilampi said the city did not give anyone permission to remove the material. Investigators suspect the rocks were reused as landscaping in a private yard.

The disappearance prompted an inspection by Vadim Adel, an archaeologist from the Pirkanmaa Provincial Museum. The site is close to Reuharinniemi, which contains Iron Age burial cairns.

Adel found that a small, known stone mound on the southern shore was not damaged. He warned that even specialists can struggle to tell human-made burial structures apart from natural rock piles.

Vuorilampi said the city expects the material to be returned and warned that unauthorised removal could lead to a criminal complaint.