AMSTERDAM - The municipal pornography archive in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden has disappeared and officials fear it may be gone for good.
Nobody has yet declared the photos, drawings and erotic texts with a connection to the city, located about 140 kilometres north of Amsterdam, as stolen.
Erik Krikke of the city's historical centre says the items may have been taken home ''accidentally'' by an employee or visitor.
He says anyone who realizes they have the material can bring it back, as he puts it, ''no questions asked.''
Krikke said the bulk of the archive was assembled by a ''fanatic'' curator at the historical centre, mostly during the 1960s and '70s.
He says items such as pictures by local photographers and artists would be difficult or impossible to replace.
The collection included a copy of the rare February 1998 edition of Dutch Playboy, Krikke added.
It featured women from each of 11 Dutch cities along the route of the country's most beloved ice skating race, the Elfstedentocht. One of them was from Leeuwarden.
Asked whether he thought it was unusual for the town to have a pornography collection, Krikke said ''yes'' - and that made the loss even greater.
''Actually, we don't have one anymore,'' he said.
