tourist climbs brussels statue and breaks it

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Tourist breaks statue at iconic Brussels building after $150m restoration

An allegedly intoxicated tourist has been filmed trying to ride a lion state in Belgium with his shock act causing $29,000 worth of damages.

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An Irish tourist has broken a statue out the front of an iconic building in Brussels one day after it reopened to the public following a three-year $150 million restoration.

The man was allegedly intoxicated and was filmed trying to ride the lion statue, which also features a man with a torch, at the Brussels Stock Exchange in Belgium.

There are two of the statues located on either side of the entrance to the building and they were also restored as part of the project.

As the tourist tried to climb down, a part of the statue, believed to be the torch, broke off.

He was arrested by police at a nearby fast food restaurant and said he was unaware of the scale of the damage he had caused, according to local media.

The restoration of the statue is estimated to cost $29,000 and the Brussels Stock Exchange plan to make the tourist pay, local newspaper Nieuwsblad reported.

Nel Vandevennet, project manager for the restoration, said the building and statues were heritage listed.

“We would like to carry out the repairs quickly, but it will surely take a few weeks or even months,” he told news outlet VRT NWS .

He continued: “The whole building has only just been restored to its former glory, including the two lions which were in a bad way.

“We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it’s very sad this happened.”

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The building opened to the public on Saturday and the video of the tourist was filmed on Sunday night.

The reopened building plans to be a public place for exhibitions, performances and other events. There is a cafe and it is expected a restaurant will eventually be opened too.

It is also home to the Belgian Beer World museum, but it is unknown if the Irishman had visited.

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A tourist broke a historic statue in Brussels one day after it was unveiled to the public following a 3-year restoration project that cost more than $18,000

• A video showed a tourist climbing on top of a statue and breaking off a piece. 
• Police later arrested the tourist at a fast food joint.
• The man who helped restore the statue said he felt sad the statue was broken so soon after it was unveiled to the public.

A tourist climbed onto a historic statue in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday and accidentally broke a portion of it, Brussels police told Insider in a statement. The incident was first reported by the local newspaper Het Nieuwsblad .

In a video posted by Het Nieuwsblad, a man in a white shirt and a pair of black shorts was shown trying to get down from the statue. The man is from Ireland, police said in the statement.

Later in the video, a piece of the statue — which the man was shown holding — broke off and fell to the ground. The man was then shown walking away from the statue.

The statue, which comprises a lion and a figure of a man with a torch in hand, is a part of the Brussels Stock Exchange building, the police said. The tourist had broken the statue just a day after it was shown to the public, following a three-year restoration project that cost 17,600 euros, or around $18,750, per Het Nieusblad.

Police later arrested the man at a fast food joint that was located near the statue, according to Het Niewsblad. The Brussels Stock Exchange said it expects the man to pay for the broken statue's restoration, per the report.

"The police arrived at the scene and found the tourist a bit further away. He was temporarily held in police custody and will face criminal charges," Brussels police told Insider, declining to reveal details about the man's identity.

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Nel Vandevennet, who was part of the team that renovated the statue, said that the repairs are going to take a few weeks or even months. "We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it's very sad this happened," he told the Belgian broadcaster VRT .

"The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen," Vandevennet said. 

It's not the first time a tourist has misbehaved overseas. In October last year, an American tourist smashed two sculptures and hurled them into the ground during a visit to the Vatican Museum. In July, a tourist defaced part of the Colosseum in Rome and used a key to carve "Ivan+Haley 23" on a wall.  

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Tourist climbs onto newly restored historic statue in Brussels and breaks part of it

An Irish tourist may have to foot a staggering bill of around €17,600 (S$26,000) for breaking a portion of a recently restored statue in Brussels.

The incident occurred on Sunday and was first reported by local newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

The man, identified as an Irish national, was allegedly intoxicated. He reportedly wanted to have a photo taken while sitting on the back of the statue, which features a lion and a man holding a torch.

In a video circulated online, the tourist is seen trying to get down from the statue.

He balances himself by holding on to the torch, which then breaks off.

He was later arrested at a fast food restaurant, reported Het Nieuwsblad.

The building’s management has reportedly called for the tourist to foot the cost of the repairs.

The damaged statue is one half of a pair of lion statues located outside the stock exchange building, known as The Bourse, in the Belgian capital.

Just a day before the incident, the building had been reopened to the public after a three-year restoration project that cost €90 million (S$131 million). The statues were part of the restoration.

Mr Nel Vandevennet, the project manager for the restoration, said the building and statues were heritage listed.

The repairs will cost a lot of money because “the work will have to be done by real craftsmen”, he told news outlet VRT NWS.

He noted that it would take at least a few weeks or even months to get the work done.

“We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it’s very sad this happened,” Mr Vandevennet said.

This is not the first time tourists have behaved badly.

In July, a tourist defaced part of Rome’s Colosseum when he used a key to carve out his and his girlfriend’s names on a wall.

Earlier in 2023, Indonesia’s Bali island banned tourists from riding motorcycles after a string of road accidents and even deaths.

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Tourist damages historic Brussels statue one day after £15,000 restoration revealed

Irish holidaymaker arrested after snapping off part of monument’s hand, article bookmarked.

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An Irish tourist has broken a historic statue in Belgium just one day after it was unveiled to the public following a £15,000 restoration.

The unnamed man was arrested after snapping off part of the hand bearing a torch on the monument in front of the newly reopened Brussels Stock Exchange, reports Belgian outlet VRT NWS .

The building, now home to the new Belgian Beer World experience, had reopened the day before, on Saturday 9 September, after undergoing major renovation work that cost £77m in total.

Video shared online shows the moment the holidaymaker, who appears to be drunk, clambered on the statue depicting a man holding a torch next to a lion.

The footage shows him then steadying himself as goes to jump back down, managing to break off the torch and a large part of the statue’s arm.

Police cameras captured the act of accidental vandalism, and the man was reportedly intercepted and arrested by law enforcement in a nearby fast food restaurant not long after.

The building is now keen to claim the thousands of pounds-worth of damage directly from the tourist.

Nel Vandevennet, who managed the restoration project, described the man as being “in a merry mood”.

“The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen,” he said.

“It is listed heritage and there will be follow-up from the monuments and landscapes agency of the Brussels region.

“We would like to carry out the repairs quickly, but it will surely take a few weeks or even months.

“The whole building has only just been restored to its former glory, including the two lions which were in a bad way.

“We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it’s very sad this happened.”

It is the latest in a long line of incidents of tourists behaving badly this summer.

A British tourist in Rome hit headlines when he carved his name into the Colosseum ; the same act was repeated not soon after by a teenage girl on holiday in the Italian capital .

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A tourist broke a historic statue in Brussels one day after it was unveiled to the public following a 3-year restoration project that cost more than $18,000

• A video showed a tourist climbing on top of a statue and breaking off a piece. 
• Police later arrested the tourist at a fast food joint.
• The man who helped restore the statue said he felt sad the statue was broken so soon after it was unveiled to the public.

A tourist climbed onto a historic statue in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday and accidentally broke a portion of it, Brussels police told Insider in a statement. The incident was first reported by the local newspaper Het Nieuwsblad .

In a video posted by Het Nieuwsblad, a man in a white shirt and a pair of black shorts was shown trying to get down from the statue. The man is from Ireland, police said in the statement.

Later in the video, a piece of the statue — which the man was shown holding — broke off and fell to the ground. The man was then shown walking away from the statue.

The statue, which comprises a lion and a figure of a man with a torch in hand, is a part of the Brussels Stock Exchange building, the police said. The tourist had broken the statue just a day after it was shown to the public, following a three-year restoration project that cost 17,600 euros, or around $18,750, per Het Nieusblad.

Police later arrested the man at a fast food joint that was located near the statue, according to Het Niewsblad. The Brussels Stock Exchange said it expects the man to pay for the broken statue's restoration, per the report.

"The police arrived at the scene and found the tourist a bit further away. He was temporarily held in police custody and will face criminal charges," Brussels police told Insider, declining to reveal details about the man's identity.

Nel Vandevennet, who was part of the team that renovated the statue, said that the repairs are going to take a few weeks or even months. "We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it's very sad this happened," he told the Belgian broadcaster VRT .

"The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen," Vandevennet said. 

It's not the first time a tourist has misbehaved overseas. In October last year, an American tourist smashed two sculptures and hurled them into the ground during a visit to the Vatican Museum. In July, a tourist defaced part of the Colosseum in Rome and used a key to carve "Ivan+Haley 23" on a wall.  

Irish tourist damages newly renovated statue in Belgium's capital Brussels

Topic: Human Interest

The statue outside the Brussels stock exchange is heritage-listed.  ( Supplied: Sudinfo )

An Irish tourist has been filmed climbing on top of a lion statue outside the Brussels stock exchange and damaging it as he tried to dismount.

In the video shared by Belgian media outlet, Sudinfo, a part of the statue can be seen breaking off — it looks like the torch held by a sculpted man.

Police arrested the tourist shortly after the incident on Sunday night, according to local media reports.

The two lion statues and stairs in front of the Brussels stock exchange, known as the Bourse, had only just been renovated at a cost of 90 million euros ($148 million). 

The building reopened its doors after three years of restoration on Saturday — one day before the incident took place.

Nel Vandevennet, the manager of the renovation project, told VRT NWS that repairing the damage could take "a few weeks or even months".

"The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen," he said.

"It is listed heritage and there will be follow-up from the monuments and landscapes agency of the Brussels region.

"We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it's very sad this happened."

• Entertainment

Irish tourist arrested in Brussels after allegedly damaging newly-restored statue

An Irish tourist has been arrested in Brussels after allegedly damaging a newly-restored statue of a lion worth over €17,000.

Police arrested the man at the Brussels Stock Exchange on Sunday night after he broke a piece of the statue when attempting to climb up to the lion, who is joined at its side by a man holding a torch.

Today's top videos

Story continues below.

Appearing to try get a photo with the lion in a video of the incident, the tourist knocked off the man’s torch when trying to climb up from the back of the statue.

The man was soon arrested by police shortly after the incident in a nearby restaurant, where he was said to have pleaded he intended no harm.

The news arrives as a blow for the restored Stock Exchange building as the €90 million property only opened its doors to the public on the day before the incident after three years of anticipation.

Despite just being restored, the statue will now have to be reworked once more to get it back to its prestine condition for tourists to marvel at.

According to Het Nieuwsblad , a Flemish newspaper, the Stock Exhange will be looking for the man to pay for the repairs of the damage he caused.

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VIDEO: 'Merry' Irish tourist damages historic lion statue outside Belgian Beer World

One of the two newly restored lions outside the Brussels Stock Exchange building was damaged by an Irish tourist on Sunday evening. The visitor climbed on top of the lion and damaged a sculpture in the process. Police have issued a charge sheet.

"On Sunday evening, an Irish tourist in a merry mood wanted to climb onto the lion in front of the Brussels Stock Exchange building," explains project manager Nel Vandevennet of the renovated stock exchange building that now houses Belgian Beer World. "In the process, the man broke off a newly restored sculpture 'The hand with a torch'."

The merry Irishman’s climb was filmed by a police camera allowing officers to intercept the visitor. "The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen," says Vandevennet. "It is listed heritage and there will be follow-up from the monuments and landscapes agency of the Brussels region."

"We would like to carry out the repairs quickly, but it will surely take a few weeks or even months. The whole building has only just been restored to its former glory, including the two lions which were in a bad way. We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it’s very sad this happened," concludes Nel Vandevennet.

Belgian Beer World at BourseBeurs

The newly renovated stock exchange building that accommodates the new Belgian Beer World experience only reopened on Saturday.  The centre is devoted to Belgian beer culture and includes a beer terrace that can also be visited outside museum hours.

It is not known whether our Irish visitor found inspiration at Belgian Beer World or enjoyed the offerings of the beer terrace or whether other pubs in the vicinity enjoyed his custom.

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Moment tourist climbs up restored statue in Brussels and 'BREAKS sculpture'

Footage of the incident shared online shows a man climbing on the statue but when he attempts to dismount it he loses his footing slightly and snaps a piece of the sculpture off

• 09:13, 15 Sep 2023
• Updated 14:39, 15 Sep 2023

An Irish tourist on holiday in Belgium has been arrested after they allegedly caused a whopping £14,500 (€17,000) worth of damage to a recently restored statue in Brussels.

The statue stood outside the stock exchange building in the Belgian capital, known as The Bourse, however, just one day after it reopened one of the stunning lion statues has already been damaged.

Footage of the incident shared online shows a man climbing on the statue but when he attempts to dismount it he loses his footing slightly and snaps a piece of the sculpture off, Buzz.ie reports, said the Irish Mirror .

A short time later the man was arrested in a fast food restaurant by police. The tourist must now reportedly cover the cost of the restoration of the lion, a staggering €17,600.

"On Sunday evening, an Irish tourist in a merry mood wanted to climb onto the lion in front of the Brussels Stock Exchange building," project manager Nel Vandevennet of the renovated stock exchange building said, via VRT. In the process, the man broke off a newly restored sculpture 'The hand with a torch'."

"The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen. It is listed heritage and there will be follow-up from the monuments and landscapes agency of the Brussels region.

"We would like to carry out the repairs quickly, but it will surely take a few weeks or even months. The whole building has only just been restored to its former glory, including the two lions which were in a bad way. We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect. We just think it’s very sad this happened."

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Drunk tourist damages newly renovated statue at Bourse in Brussels city centre

The Bourse in Brussels city centre recently reopened after a big renovation, but has already been damaged again by an intoxicated tourist on Sunday night.

The Bourse and the two lions on the stairs in front of it have only just been restored . On Saturday, the building finally opened its doors after three years of restoration, which cost €90 million. A day later, one of the lion statues has already been damaged.

A video shows an Irish tourist, clearly intoxicated, climbing on the back of the statue to have his photo taken, next to the statue of a man holding a torch. However, when trying to crawl off the statue, the torch breaks off.

Police were notified and the man was arrested shortly afterwards in a fast food restaurant nearby – unaware of the harm he had caused. The statue, which was also only recently restored, will now have to be repaired again.

The restoration of the lion cost €17,600, and the management of the Bourse reportedly wants to recover the costs from the Irishman, Het Nieuwsblad reports.

Related News

• A first look inside the renovated Bourse and the Belgian Beer World
• Two beaches open in central Brussels this week

Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.

14:00-16:00

‘Intoxicated’ Irishman arrested for breaking newly-restored lion statue in Brussels

13.52 13 Sep 2023

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An Irish tourist has broken a statue outside the Brussels Stock Exchange after climbing on top of it, according to local police.

Local media reports say the ‘clearly intoxicated’ man was trying to get his photo taken while sitting on the statue of a lion and a man holding a torch.

Video footage shows the man attempting to climb down from the statue and accidentally knocking the torch – which falls to the ground and smashes to the audible gasps of onlookers.

The Stock Exchange - known as the Bourse - and the lions flanking its entrance have only just been restored at a cost of around €90m.

Nieuwsblad reports that the Bourse now wants to see the man pay the cost of the restoration of the sculpture – which is estimated at around €17,600.

A Brussels Police spokesperson said the incident happened at around 1am on Sunday night – just one day after the building reopened.

“An Irish tourist climbed onto one of the statues at the Brussels Stock Exchange building,” she said.

“When he wanted to get back down, he broke a piece of the statue.

“Police arrived at the scene [and] a police report was drawn up against the tourist.”

local reports say the man was arrested not long after the incident at a nearby fast-food restaurant.

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Irish tourist arrested after allegedly damaging Brussels statue

An irish tourist who, according to local reports, was "clearly intoxicated" was filmed climbing and damaging a recently restored statute at the brussels stock exchange.

An Irish tourist has been arrested after allegedly climbing onto a recently renovated statue in Brussels and causing thousands of Euro worth of damage. 

Video of the incident shows a man climbing slowly onto the statue located outside the stock exchange in Brussels. The statue was renovated as part of a €90 million restoration project at the historic building, known as the Place de la Bourse. 

The man can be seen leaning on the torch, causing it and parts of the arm holding it to fall off, prompting gasps from onlookers.

A young Irishman has been arrested in Brussels, Belgium, after he climbed on to a recently renovated statue outside the stock exchange on Sunday and caused part of it to fall off, according to local media. Report here: https://t.co/dyx9mL0EDO pic.twitter.com/nalE6cGMjc — The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) September 13, 2023

Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish!

Local media outlets report that the tourist was "clearly intoxicated" while trying to get his photograph taken on top of the statue on Sunday night, just one day after the building reopened. 

An Irish tourist was arrested in a nearby fast-food restaurant sometime after the incident, according to local media. He was reportedly unaware that he had caused any damage to the statue. 

"An Irish tourist climbed onto one of the statues at the Brussels Stock Exchange building," a Brussels Police spokeswoman said, according to Newstalk.

"Police arrived at the scene [and] a police report was drawn up against the tourist.

"When he wanted to get back down, he broke a piece of the statue." 

Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reports that the restoration of the statue cost €17,600. 

Management at the Bourse building wants to recover the cost of necessary repairs from the person who damaged the statue, Het Nieuwsblad added. 

The historic Bourse building includes a beer museum and a co-working space and recently underwent a massive restoration project. The newly renovated building opened on Saturday with a number of special events, with visitors encouraged to drink Belgian beer as part of the celebration. 

Nel Van De Vannet, architect and CEO of the Brussels Stock Exchange Renovation Project, told RTÉ Morning Ireland on Thursday morning that the site is "symbolically important" and often used as a gathering place for both happy and sad times.

The incident has made her and her team "very, very sad and upset."

"For us, it's a bit of a sad moment to see now after these three years of restoration where we know the sculpture and time it took to restore it is now broken off after two days of opening," she said.

She added: "It will take probably two months again before we can see the whole lion with the hand intact again. 

"Again, it's a long process."

When asked who will pay for the damage, Van De Vannet said: "Well, police intercepted him so I think it will be on his account but maybe I can do an appeal for a peaceful mediation and a payment for restoration."

She said the bill would be between €5,000 and €7,000.

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Tourist climbs Brussels statue, breaks it

An Irish tourist was filmed climbing a recently-renovated statue outside the Brussels stock exchange, causing part of it to break off.

The man was arrested and the building's management has called for him to cover the cost of repairs.

This video has been optimised for mobile viewing on the BBC News app. The BBC News app is available for iPhone and Android.

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Tourist climbs Brussels statue, breaks it

By Still Waters September 14, 2023 in UK and Europe

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Still waters.

An Irish tourist was filmed climbing a recently-renovated statue outside the Brussels stock exchange, causing part of it to break off.

The man was arrested and the building's management has called for him to cover the cost of repairs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-66808450

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An Irish tourist was filmed climbing a recently-renovated statue outside the Brussels stock exchange, causing part of it to break off. The man was arrested and the building's management has calle

If so, this drunk is going to cost him a lot more than he expected.  What an idiot.     I think the repairs probably were done with the least changes being made to the original pieces, as

Just another drunk Irishman doing what comes genetically.

I'm surprised how brittle and fragile are some of these structures, what with all the recent breakages in Italy and now Brussels. 

Or maybe this one is just about how powerful Irishmen might still be...

5 hours ago, Abramelin said: Just another drunk Irishman doing what comes genetically.

If so, this drunk is going to cost him a lot more than he expected.  What an idiot.  

1 hour ago, quiXilver said: I'm surprised how brittle and fragile are some of these structures, what with all the recent breakages in Italy and now Brussels.  Or maybe this one is just about how powerful Irishmen might still be...

I think the repairs probably were done with the least changes being made to the original pieces, as possible.  Likely they were just wired together and had this idiot not decided to scale the thing it would have held together for decades or more. 

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