Bust of German literary giant Goethe stolen from NY park

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A bronze bust of German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe has been stolen from its pedestal at a western New York park.

Monroe County parks officials tell the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester that a member of a neighborhood group reported the theft early Thursday morning.

Officials say someone chiseled the sculpture from its granite pedestal located on a hill in Highland Park.

The bust was unveiled 65 years ago after it was commissioned by Rochester's German-American community to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Goethe's birth in 1749 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Goethe was a novelist, poet and playwright who is considered one of the leading figures in Western literature.

County official are asking anyone with information on the theft to contact the sheriff's office.

Information from: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, http://www.democratandchronicle.com