Ostend wants to put ‘Dikke Mathille’ back on the sea side of the Kursaal

Restoration ensures that ‘The Sea’ disappears for a while

The city has already received permission to restore Dikke Mathille. “For this purpose, the statue will be detached from its current anchorage and moved to the restorer’s studio in Vorselaar. After a specialized cleaning, the bronze statue will undergo a treatment in which the patina will be tackled in such a way that we obtain the most natural result. For example, we want to respect the original creation as much as possible,” says first alderman Björn Anseeuw, responsible for the Kursaal building.

Back to the sea after restoration?

“It is from the same respect for the statue and Kursaal that the city wants to return the statue to its original location after restoration. The sculpture was designed for the Kursaal at the time. In 1952, architect Léon Stynen commissioned Georges Grard to design a statue for the plinth on the sea side of the Kursaal. On April 21, 1955, it was placed on the plinth on the Kursaal,” says alderman Kurt Claeys, competent for immovable heritage.

‘Offensive’ at the time

“The statue was considered offensive at the time and when a youth association tried to push it off its pedestal one night, the city moved it to the park near Leopold Park,” explains Björn Anseeuw. “But we think that in 2023 we can put that prudishness behind us and restore Fat Mathille to its former glory.”

The application to the Agency for Immovable Heritage is the first step in the procedure. A public inquiry will follow later.

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