Harness racing association ‘Prins Hendrik’ has used a very strong ‘weapon’ to unearth the stolen works of art. Successful dressage rider and three-time Olympic champion, Anky van Grunsven, calls on social media to return the paintings, which mean a lot to Medemblik. “They have four days left.”
“This is an important painting for Medemblik, that of Radboud,” Anky van Grunsven begins her appeal, which the harness racing association has placed on their Facebook page. “Would you please help with the search, it would be great if the painting were back in Medemblik with the harness racing. Let’s help Medemblik en masse.”
Many views
The large network that the dressage rider has is paying off. Hans Nipshagen, chairman of the harness racing association ‘Prins Hendrik’, is happy with the support shown. The call has now been viewed more than 4,000 times. “We felt called to take action and draw attention to it. Every little bit helps. The stolen paintings are characteristic of the history of Medemblik, just like harness racing.”
He sympathizes with historians Peter Swart and Mark Raat, both of whom specialize in the history of Medemblik. “We have a good relationship with them. They recently discovered where the name Prins Hendrik (of the harness racing association, ed.) comes from. We wanted to give something back.”
The harness racing day starts on Monday, September 18, and the horses and pickers skim over the Nieuwstraat in Medemblik. “They still have four days before the stolen paintings must be returned,” he says firmly.
Mystery remains
The municipality of Medemblik is still in the dark about where the stolen works of art from the former town hall could be. After the municipality offered a reward of 10,000 euros for the golden tip last week, it has not yet yielded any useful tips.
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