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Equestrian Statue of King Leopold II (Ostend)

Equestrian Statue of King Leopold II (Ostend)

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Equestrian Statue of King Leopold II (Ostend)

Recommended by 117 hikers out of 125

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Location: West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Equestrian Statue of King Leopold II (Ostend)

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1. Ostend Walk of Fame – Ostend Beach loop from Vlaams Plein

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2. Mercator Ship in Ostend – Artwork 'Dancing Waves' loop from Oostende

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3. Villa Maritza – Ostend Walk of Fame loop from Oostende

5.13km

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Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Katrien

September 10, 2021

This equestrian statue of Leopold II is quite controversial.
The left-wing part in particular raises eyebrows: the "grateful Congolese" who adore their hero.
What Leopold II had carried out in Congo would now undoubtedly be charged in an international court as acts against humanity.
But in the 19th century you could get away with that as a monarch.
The most famous images are those of children and adults with severed hands if they did not want to cooperate in, among other things, the rubber plantations. In order not to lose this black page of our colonial history, a protest action in 2004 saw the hand of one of the 'grateful Congolese' cut off, in reference to the Leopoldian reign of terror.
That reign of terror yielded a lot of profits. And with those profits, Leopold II had this neighborhood built. Knowing this, you might get a slightly sour aftertaste when admiring all this grand architecture.

Source: Routeyou

Translated by Google •

♏️anuel 🧭

August 2, 2023

The Equestrian statue of King Leopold II in the Belgian city of Ostend dates from 1931 and stands on the Zeedijk at the height of the Three Gapers (this is the triple bridge of the Koninginnelaan that connects the domain of the Royal Villa with the roof of the Royal Gaanderijen) .

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🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

September 27, 2022

There is a large equestrian statue of the now hotly contested Leopold II on the Zeedijk in Ostend. The king was a welcome guest here because he turned Ostend into a fashionable seaside resort. Many well-known buildings were built on his initiative: the Royal Galleries, the Royal Stables, the Royal Yacht Club and so on. As a thank you, this monument was erected in 1931. Leopold is on horseback in a military uniform. The base of the statue is formed by two groups of statues. The left-wing group bears the currently loaded title 'The thanks of the Congolese to Leopold II for freeing them from slavery under the Arabs', the right-wing group is called 'A tribute to the Ostend fishing population'. In 1981 the equestrian statue was protected as a monument. The statue and the arcades were designed by the brothers Alfred and Antoine Courtens. The arcades are also popularly called 'The Three Gapers': you have the two passageways and the third gaper is the amazed spectator. In 2004, one of the figures from the Congolese sculpture group had his hand cut off in protest against the Congo regime of Leopold II.

Source: knoper.com/standbeeld-leopold-ii

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 50 m

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Location: West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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Equestrian Statue of King Leopold II (Ostend)

1. Ostend Walk of Fame – Ostend Beach loop from Vlaams Plein

2. Mercator Ship in Ostend – Artwork 'Dancing Waves' loop from Oostende

3. Villa Maritza – Ostend Walk of Fame loop from Oostende

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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