More than 80 Christmas trees were stolen over the weekend in Gelsenkirchen, in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The trees were kept in a disused department store and were meant for a variety of local businesses. They were worth more than €1,000 ($1,100), according to the police report.

Police described the incident, which occurred overnight on Saturday, as "extraordinary." 

Read more: Don't buy a Christmas tree, plant one

Authorities were at a loss to explain how the thieves could have transported the bulky trees. They said the thieves' identities remained unknown.

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