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The Borrelmanneke

The Borrelmanneke

Highlight • Monument

The Borrelmanneke

Recommended by 56 hikers out of 57

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Location: South Limburg, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to The Borrelmanneke

4.4

(28)

363

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1. St. Quentin's Cathedral – The Borrelmanneke loop from Kempische Wijk

7.95km

02:02

30m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

3.3

(3)

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2. St. Quentin's Cathedral – Old Town Hall loop from Hasselt

4.86km

01:15

20m

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

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Easy

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3. St. Quentin's Cathedral – Old Town Hall loop from Heilig Hartwijk

4.50km

01:09

20m

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

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Easy

Tips

Katrien

June 27, 2022

This bronze statue fountain by Lou Boonman from Neerpelt was placed by the city council on 19 September 1981 as a reminder of the rich jenever tradition.

The cycle of grain-jenever-cattle-land reclamation is depicted here; pigs and oxen were fattened with the draff (pulp of the distilled grain) and poor heathlands were made fertile with the manure of these stable animals, so that grain could be grown again for jenever production.

The Borrelmanneke symbolises the close bond between the city of Hasselt and the jenever industry.

An ox stands on a pedestal. A man sits astride the back of the cow. The ox forms a whole with the pigs that root around beneath him. The man has a jenever barrel on his right shoulder. Until the end of the previous century, jenever was supplied to shopkeepers and drinking houses in barrels and casks. Private individuals started to stock up 'at the barrel' with their jugs and stoppers. The most common tonnage was the wine stainless steel or 'ox head' (approximately 268 litres). Hence the nickname 'de Ossekoppen' that the Hasselt residents were given.

Hasselt expressions 'Zoe zat as è verke' and 'Zoe zat as nen os' also clearly refer to the connection between cattle breeding and jenever distillation. After all, the distillation waste (the draff) still contained traces of alcohol when it was served to the pigs or oxen.

Once a year in October during the jenever festival, real Hasselt jenever comes out of the fountain.

Source: Hasel

Translated by Google •

AeroPetr ✈🌍

September 1, 2023

In contrast to the other sculptures, the size of the images does not deceive you. The statue is easy to find and hard to miss.

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Viviane

July 20, 2022

Always interesting if you want to plan a sculpture walk

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Julia Nikolaeva

May 1, 2024

In front of you is the Borrelmanneke, a work of art by Laurent Boonman from 1981. You see a 'manneke' pouring gin from a barrel and sitting astride an ox. Between the ox's legs, piggies feast on trot. We can hear you thinking: what does agriculture have to do with gin? Everything, actually! In the past, cattle were fattened with 'drat', the grain waste left over after distilling gin. The animal manure was used to make soils fertile so that barley and rye could be grown on them. Indeed, the basic raw materials of the gin distillery! Gerard Smeets also bought 188 hectares of land to keep cattle together with a farmer. The Borrelmanneke therefore symbolizes the natural cycle between agriculture and gin.

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Viviane

December 1, 2024

The Borrelmanneke is the fiancé of the Borrelvrouwke

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An 🇧🇪

March 2, 2025

The Borrelmanneke symbolises the close bond between the city of Hasselt and the jenever industry. The statue shows an ox, on which a man sits astride, with a jenever barrel on his right shoulder. Pigs are rooting around under the ox, illustrating the complete cycle of jenever production. In the past, jenever was delivered in barrels and casks to shopkeepers and drinking houses, and private individuals went 'to the barrel' to stock up with their jugs and stoppers. The most common tonnage was the wine stainless steel or 'ox head' (approximately 268 litres), which led to the nickname 'Ossekoppen' for the people of Hasselt.

Translated by Google •

Jeff S

May 6, 2024

Having a drink is fun...

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🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

October 8, 2025

This bronze sculpture fountain, designed by Lou Boonman from Neerpelt, was installed by the city council on September 19, 1981, as a reminder of the rich jenever tradition.

The cycle of grain-jenever-cattle-land reclamation is depicted here; pigs and oxen were fattened with the dregs (pulp from distilled grain), and the manure from these stabled animals was used to fertilize poor heathlands, so that grain could be grown again for jenever production.

The Borrelmanneke (Snackman) symbolizes the close connection between the city of Hasselt and the jenever industry.

An ox stands on a pedestal. A man sits astride the cow's back. The ox forms a single entity with the pigs rooting beneath him. The man holds a jenever barrel on his right shoulder. Until the end of the last century, jenever was delivered to retailers and liquor stores in barrels and casks. Individuals began to stock up on their jars and stoppers. The most common tonnage was the stainless steel wine barrel or "ox head" (approximately 268 liters). Hence the nickname "de Ossekoppen" (Ox Heads) given to the Hasselt residents.

Source: hasel.be/borrelmanneke-maastrichterstraat

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 90 m

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Sunday 16 November

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2°C

100 %

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Max wind speed: 9.0 km/h

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Location: South Limburg, Flanders, Belgium

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The Borrelmanneke

1. St. Quentin's Cathedral – The Borrelmanneke loop from Kempische Wijk

2. St. Quentin's Cathedral – Old Town Hall loop from Hasselt

3. St. Quentin's Cathedral – Old Town Hall loop from Heilig Hartwijk

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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