Artist Birthe Leemeijer had the idea of making an ecological staircase that would serve as a place where animals, plants and people could come together. The staircase had to be completely covered with plants.

For three years, volunteers spent a lot of time building the stairs and researching which plants were most suitable to use. The stairs were largely financed by the municipality of Utrecht and cost almost €250,000.

A contract worker from the municipality of Utrecht did not realise that the staircase was a work of art and accidentally removed all the plants. All the plants will have to be placed and looked after again, and the ones needed are not available all year round. It will take at least a year of work to make the stairs look greener again. There will also be extra costs, which the municipality has promised to bear. The employee should have been better informed about the staircase and the municipality is also considering a way to make it clearer in the future that it is a work of art.