Have you heard of Madame Chapeau? If you're familiar with this character, who embodies the capital in all its traditions, you're likely to have a good feel for the spirit of Brussels and what the capital is all about. But where does she come from? It was actually the nickname given to Amélie van Beneden, one of the minor roles in the famous play "Bossemans et Coppenolle", written in 1938 by two Belgian theatre-makers. A veritable hymn to the zwanze - that oh-so local humour, somewhere between curmudgeonly mischief and self-deprecation - this profoundly Brusseleir work was first performed at the Théâtre du Vaudeville, in the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries, before being regularly performed at the Théâtre des Galeries. The origin of the name 'Madame Chapeau' gives us a little insight into the local language, with this extract from the play: "I'm not called Madame Chapeau, it's the scoundrels in my strotje (back street in Brusseleir) who call me that because I'm too distinguished to go out without a hat!". The statue, which was unveiled in 2000, was designed by Brussels artist Tom Frantzen, creator of a number of other sculptures in Brussels (including Zinneke-Pis and the Vartkapoen).
Madame Chapeau
Location: Rue des Moineaux, 8, 1000 Brussels
