Suspected thieves have stolen four original bronze shields from the historic Neptune Fountain in Laeken, causing tens of thousands of euros in damage.
The 1905 monument on Avenue Van Praet was commissioned by King Leopold II. It is a replica of Giambologna’s 16th-century masterpiece in Bologna. The City of Brussels invested €700,000 to thoroughly renovate the structure in 2019. It sits just a short distance from the royal estate.
According to Bruzz, restorer Bart De Temmerman discovered the vandalised monument on Tuesday, after he arrived to reinstall four water nymphs that normally decorate each corner of the fountain.
Workers had previously removed them to fix a basin leak. He immediately recognised that something was wrong with the missing shields, exposing a heavily smashed marble base.
Perpetrators applied brute force to extract the metal ornaments. "There are pieces of marble the size of my hand broken off," De Temmerman told Bruzz.
Illustration picture shows the renovated Neptune Fountain, with the bronze shields in questions Brussels, Wednesday 17 April 2019. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
The Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone subsequently launched an official investigation. Local authorities confirmed the water feature had been out of service for several days due to the plumbing repairs.
Investigators found broken bronze fragments resting in the lower basin; the scrap metal value has most likely motivated the crime. De Temmerman suspects the culprits plan to melt down the shields for bronze.
Alarmingly, this incident follows a familiar pattern from six weeks ago. Vandals have recently damaged and stolen several bronze statues from Schaarbeek's Josaphat Park. It is yet unknown if the recent incidents are connected to the current one.
The cabinet of the Brussels State Secretary for Heritage, Ans Persoons, dismissed concerns over a wider trend. Her spokesperson labelled fountain thefts as highly unusual, noting that criminals sporadically target valuable items in cemeteries instead.
Security upgrades are already in place as crews have erected two-metre-high metal fences around the Laeken site. Bright night illumination will also remain active to ensure that the sight can be clearly monitored at night.
Brussels Mobility manages the monument and is currently awaiting a final damage estimate, which is currently hovering in the tens of thousands of euros. Replacing the stolen elements requires manufacturing a new mould before casting fresh bronze.
