'Merry' Irish tourist damages lion at newly restored Brussels stock exchange building
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. "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.
