Brothel Owner Sells German Parliament Flag
July 24, 2004
It was probably Germany's most notorious flag. A little over six meters wide and four and a half meters high, the banner had waved over one of the towers at the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building for years until Wolfgang Thierse, president of the parliament, decided to sell it to help replenish state coffers.
Feeling a strong sense of patriotism, Christine Schmittroth purchased the tricolor for €3,350 ($4,050) and hung it up over her brothel in the town of Halle, in eastern Germany. On "special occasions" visitors to her establishment would be reminded of the owner's lover for her fatherland.
But that was simply too much for neighbors and other concerned citizens who saw the action as a disgrace to the country, and Schmittroth felt obliged to auction off the flag to a more worthy owner.
€16,000 for new owner
She turned to the German e-bay site and started watching the bids rise. Just 24 hours before the hammer fell, however, computer hackers sabotaged the auction and Schmittroth was forced to withdraw the flag. She then re-submitted it for sale and its price began to climb again until bidder 79 was named the winner at €16,050.
Schmittroth says she will hand over the profits from the sale to a local children's cancer fund. The new owner hasn't said where the giant flag will fly next.