The lost artworks of Parc Josaphat: Cinderella, Tijl Uylenspiegel and more
Parc Josaphat is one of the places Schaerbeekois love most. Ponds, rocky paths, old trees and, hidden in the bushes, a whole open-air museum. Some of its statues have vanished over the years. Here is their story, up to the latest news, and why there is good reason to be hopeful.
An open-air museum since 1904
The park was designed by landscape architect Edmond Galoppin and opened in 1904, in the presence of King Leopold II. It has been a protected site since 1974 and was restored between 2006 and 2011. Today it covers around 20 hectares.
The official heritage file lists 17 sculptures and monuments in the park: bronzes, busts of writers, medallions of painters, a marble fountain. Many visitors walk past them every day without knowing who made them, or what is missing.
Did you know? Before the park existed, the Josaphat valley already attracted artists. Hippolyte Boulenger painted Vallée de Josaphat à Schaerbeek in 1868. The painting is now in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
Cinderella: stolen in May 2026
Many Schaerbeek families know her. A small bronze Cinderella, sitting with a pair of bellows in her hands, lost in her dreams, near the kiosk.
She is the work of Edmond Lefever (1839–1911), a sculptor born in Ypres. The bronze dates from 1881. The commune's museum bought it in 1905 for 5,000 francs, half paid by the State. She had been in the park ever since.
In May 2026, a walker found the pedestal empty. Only Cinderella's feet were left. The same week, the memorial to Todor Anguelov was stolen and the bust of former mayor Raymond Foucart was knocked down, both on avenue Raymond Foucart. The Brussels-North police zone drew up reports, a judicial investigation was opened and the commune filed a complaint. Brussels has seen a wave of bronze thefts in 2026, from the Neptune fountain in Laeken to the bust of King Albert I in Molenbeek.
The good news: the Fonds pour le Patrimoine de Schaerbeek, run by the King Baudouin Foundation together with the commune, has started a project to put a copy of Cinderella back in her place in the park. Anyone can support it with a donation.
Little-known fact: our Cinderella was not the only cast. A second bronze of the same size exists, and a smaller ceramic version from 1888 is kept by the Ypres museum.
Tijl Uylenspiegel: destroyed in 1987, his plinth is still there
Tijl Uylenspiegel, the cheeky hero of Flemish folklore, once sat hidden in the park's thickets, hugging his knees under his hood.
The statue was made in 1954 by Eugène Canneel (1882–1966), a sculptor born in Saint-Gilles who died in Schaerbeek. It was made of reconstituted stone. The feather on Tijl's cap was often stolen and often replaced. In 1987, vandals destroyed the statue.
Look closely near the park's dovecote (pigeonnier), a rockwork structure built between 1905 and 1914: the plinth of Tijl is still there. Next time you walk past, you will know what once stood on it.
Les Joies du printemps: moved, not lost
Some statues left the park and are still with us. Les Joies du printemps (The Joys of Spring), also by Eugène Canneel, once stood in Parc Josaphat, as old postcards show. After Tijl was destroyed in 1987, it was moved out of the park. It now stands at the centre of the Square des Griottiers, where avenue Émile Max, avenue Milcamps and avenue Félix Marchal meet.
Canneel has not completely left the park, though. His Cariatide, in white reconstituted stone, has stood in a brick setting there since 1968.
Damaged and stolen: the other wounded works
Léon Frédéric memorial. A bronze medallion of the painter by Jules Lagae first hung on Frédéric's house at Chaussée de Haecht 232. When the house was demolished, it moved to a stone in the park, inaugurated on 6 May 1972. The medallion has since been stolen. Nobody seems to know exactly when. If you remember, tell me.
Georges Eekhoud monument. Made by Joseph Witterwulghe in 1930, it honours the writer with a medallion and an allegory of the Campine. The allegory has lost her head.
Philippe Baucq. The first monument to this resistance hero of 1914–1918 stood on Place de Jamblinne de Meux and was destroyed by the German occupier in 1940. A new memorial by Jacques Nisot was placed in the park in 1973.
Still standing: a walk to see what remains
The good news is that most of the collection is still here. L'Élagueur (1895) and Ève et le Serpent (1890) by Albert Desenfans, Borée by Joseph Van Hamme (plaster model 1904, bronze 1922, once gilded), the busts of Émile Verhaeren and Albert Giraud, La Maternité by Maurice de Korte and the Fontaine d'Amour by Mon De Rijck are all waiting for you. Take an hour on a Sunday, start at the kiosk and go looking for them.
Why this matters to me
Heritage is one of my priorities as a city councillor. These statues tell the story of Schaerbeek, of its artists and of the families who walk in the park. Protecting them is a shared job: the commune, the police, the Heritage Fund and all of us who use the park.
What you can do
Support the Cinderella copy via the Fonds pour le Patrimoine de Schaerbeek (King Baudouin Foundation).
Report any damage to a statue to the commune or the park wardens.
Do you have old photos of Tijl, Cinderella or Les Joies du printemps? Send them to me. I would love to share them with you.
FAQ
Was the Cinderella statue in Parc Josaphat stolen?
Yes. The bronze by Edmond Lefever was stolen in May 2026. Only the feet remained on the pedestal. An investigation is ongoing.
Will Cinderella come back?
The Fonds pour le Patrimoine de Schaerbeek (King Baudouin Foundation) has launched a project to place a copy in the park.
Where was the Tijl Uylenspiegel statue?
Near the dovecote (pigeonnier) of Parc Josaphat. It was destroyed by vandals in 1987. Its plinth is still in place.
Where is the statue Les Joies du printemps today?
At the Square des Griottiers in Schaerbeek. It used to stand in Parc Josaphat and was moved after the destruction of Tijl Uylenspiegel in 1987.
How many sculptures are in Parc Josaphat?
The heritage protection file lists 17 sculptures and monuments.
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