This monument stands in tribute to Leopold II, the king of Belgium known in equal measures for being the builder king and for his "harsh administration" of the Congo. The monument is a equestrian statue and features the king sitting peacefully on his horse at rest. When I visited, someone had poured white pain over his head. I guess someone took exception to his brutal administration of Congo and you'll get no complaints from me about that. I'll give it one extra star purely for the aesthetics.

Figure of a terrible human being. King Léopold II was responsible for terrible human fate and numerous deaths in his colonies in Congo. His monuments should be either taken down or relevant information explaining who he was should be placed.

one of the biggest stains on Belgium's short history is proudly exhibited for all to see. it's vile and disgusting. most of all, it's incredibly disrespectful to the people who suffered under the wrath of a petulant and barbaric man-child known as Leopold II. disgusting. i see this piece of metal garbage every single day and i hope one day the city hall make the right decision and scrap this thing once and for all

Unbelievable - in the center of European capital there is a monument to a king who was responsible for death of 10 million people.

Looking at this disgusting monument makes me sick to my stomach. It's a global disgrace!

Terrible human being and a stain on Belgium’s history as a nation!

No privacy screens. Should be a must before constructing a public urinal!

Disgusting, all belgians should be ashamed.

Leopold II is a more complex figure for the history of Belgians than just the genocial maniac he's made to be. Under his rule Belgium saw [more] railways, regulations on workplace reform, and male suffrage among other things. Located between the Coudenberg Palace and the European Parliament on a small plaza, the statue gives passers-by time to reflect on Belgian history (the occupation of Belgium by Charles V/Spain) on the way to its future (some would say the "occupation of Belgium" by the EU dictate). Side note: A lot of the one star reviews seem to be very politically motivated, which is regrettable. Considering it's a very plain statue, I'd have given it 3 stars if it weren't the fact I had to balance out these kind of biased reviews. I can only warn those people that if we do not learn to look at history with an critical, objective POV, we are bound to be misled and fall for the same mistakes of the past.

Leopold II was the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. If you know the history and how the Congo people were treated by this man, I can barely give anything above 0 star.

Why this monument is still standing is beyond me. Shameful token of horror..

a K/D ratio with which the only possible emotional responses are admiration and inspiration

Brussels celebrating a mass murde**r. Imagine if Berlin had a statue of Hit**r!

Impressive monument! A must see!

Awesome sculpture

Belgian G3n0c1d3, statue should be taken down..

Kongo! What a disgrace!

Leaving a positive review on a random monument amongst many others in Brussels, just because there are way too many people in these reviews who should stop mentionning numbers which we will never be able to verify. And also because the people commenting should comment on their own countries BS before commenting on the past of Belgium. #peace ;)

He's a legend.

i passed this statue when I visited Brussels , maybe God knows which one is better for me to visit 😥

Nothing much to see but the lion statues are beautiful

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Pretty cool! :D

Legacy is for those who build human life. This man destroyed many to build one for the regime of whites and the ignorant Belge There's a point when the powerful are put in a statue. Either when they think they're powerful enough to spend money on, or when their successors think that. In a monarchy, they're born powerful and so their successors. This is then to instill grandeur of fear. That the system and its taxes will never be for the people but only builds on people, their uteruses, hands, and feet. Now it's cultural divide and polarisation for the vote. Born into the monarchy this colonist exploited nations and instilled hate on the count of making Belgium industrial, with rubber. Belgians of course liked it, regardless where the resources came from. I'm not African, nor European. But I'm bruxellois and I don't like this statue in my city. A reminder that middle class Belgians who are now still enslaved, have always be enslaved but just put in a hierarchy. That the draining of Africa will continue, that even if the Belgians don't make a mess of other races and their limbs: colonisation is not of the past. It's history, continuing to be made.

Killer

Unremarkable monument

Excellent artistry.