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The equestrian statue of Albert I (; ) is a bronze
equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...
erected in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Belgium, in memory of King Albert I, third
King of the Belgians The monarchy of Belgium is the Constitutional monarchy, constitutional and Inheritance, hereditary institution of the monarchical head of state of the Kingdom of Belgium. As a popular monarchy, the Belgian monarch uses the title king/quee ...
. It was created by the sculptor in 1951.Statue équestre d’Albert Ier – Bruxelles
be-monumen.be The statue stands on the /, at the point where the Mont des Arts/Kunstberg joins the /, and a few tens of metres from the
Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...
(KBR). This area is served by
Brussels-Central railway station Brussels-Central railway station (; ) is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and ...
.


History

The accidental death of King Albert I in 1934 aroused great emotion in Belgium, prompting many cities to pay homage to him. In Brussels, the question of whether this tribute should take the form of a monument, architectural feature, or urban development, was the subject of debate. Ultimately, the classical and traditional option of sculpture prevailed. The first project by the sculptor Alfred Courtens in the form of a model was submitted in 1943, then revised and finally approved in 1946. The
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and a shortage of materials further delayed the monument's construction. Finally, in 1951, the
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
sculpture, cast by the ''Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles'', was brought to the site in three parts to facilitate transport (the body of the horse, its head, and the effigy of the king) and installed on a
pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...
designed by Jules Ghobert, one of the architects of the
Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...
(KBR).


Description

The imposing bronze
equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...
is placed high on the pedestal made of blue stone blocks, overlooking the city centre. Albert I is classically depicted as a soldier king wearing a military coat and holding a helmet. The style is reminiscent of that of the equestrian statue of Leopold II on the /, whose author, Thomas Vinçotte, was Courtens's teacher. The sculptor justified his decision to depict his model bareheaded by the fear that the shadow of the helmet would obscure his face. The monument is part of an overall project including the Mont des Arts and the Royal Library of Belgium, dedicated to Albert I and nicknamed in French or in Dutch (today KBR), whose first stone would not be laid, however, until three years after the statue's inauguration. File:Albertine - 01.jpg, The
Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...
(KBR) and the equestrian statue of Albert I File:Brussels Kunstberg Statue Albert I 03.jpg, Equestrian statue File:Brussels Kunstberg Statue Albert I 01.jpg, Closeup of King Albert I


See also

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Sculpture in Brussels Sculpture in Brussels has been created from the Middle Ages to the present day. The city has been an uninterrupted centre of autonomous training in the art of sculpture and has produced a long continuity of sculptors who were born and trained i ...
*
History of Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital ...
*
Culture of Belgium The culture of Belgium involves both the aspects shared by all Belgians regardless of the language they speak and the differences between the main cultural communities: the Dutch-speaking Belgians (mostly Flemish) and the French-speaking B ...
*
Belgium in the long nineteenth century In the history of Belgium, the period from 1789 to 1914, dubbed the "Long nineteenth century, long 19th century" by the historian Eric Hobsbawm, includes the end of Habsburg monarchy, Austrian rule and periods of French First Republic, French ...


References


External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Equestrian statue of Albert I of Belgium (Brussels) Monuments and memorials in Brussels City of Brussels Equestrian statues in Belgium Statues of monarchs Bronze sculptures in Belgium