Vaartkapoen statue removed for Sainctelette reconstruction

The iconic statue De Vaartkapoen has stood on the Saincteletteplein in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek since 1985 and is by the Brussels sculptor Tom Frantzen. It depicts a rebellious dock worker emerging from the sewers and tripping a walking police officer. The artwork is an ode to cartoonist Hergé and to the rebellious Brussels humor, or swan.

The term ‘vaartkapoen’ refers to the idiosyncratic dock workers of the industrial Sint-Jans-Molenbeek of the past. They sometimes flouted the law and regularly got into trouble with the police. In the meantime, the term has evolved into a nickname for all residents of Molenbeek.

The statue will be replaced later, but it is not yet clear when or where.

Lamppost

According to artist Tom Frentzen, the intention is to place the statue in a new park on the other side of the Channel. But the idea that the Molenbeek symbol might cross over to Brussels City is not appreciated by some Molenbeek residents. “This statue does not belong in Brussels City,” the Migration Museum in Molenbeek responded on X, formerly Twitter.

For Frentzen it is especially important that the entire composition is preserved: “I hope that the lamppost will move with it, it is part of the image,” he says. “The current location is actually perfect, but I am satisfied as long as it remains close to the canal.”

Nothing is yet certain about the exact location where the statue will be located, the office of Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Green) said in a response. “But it is part of the neighborhood and should certainly remain in the same area.”