The statue has indeed been there for a while, almost 64 years. Unveiled in 1960, it was a gift from a cigarette manufacturer. Another passerby finds it symbolic that the statue has been turned over. “Just like the tobacco industry,” he says.
The window cleaner hopes it doesn’t take too long. “I’m going to miss him,” he says. Others also hope that the statue will soon be back in place. “The Spui without Het Lieverdje is not the Spui,” says a passer-by.
In 2012, the statue was also knocked over by a reversing truck. The Lieverdje was also damaged at the time. The restoration work then took a month. It is not yet known how long this will last.