On 28 January 1832, Général Augustin-Daniel Belliard collapsed in the Brussels park, after leaving the royal palace. The general, aged 62, had served in Napoleon’s army in dozens of battles from Cairo to Austerlitz. He ended his days as a diplomat in the French embassy near the park.
Six years after he died, a splendid statue was carved by Guillaume Geefs. It was the first statue unveiled in Brussels after the revolution, paid for by Belgian soldiers who gave up one day’s pay.
The statue shows the portly general holding his sword in one hand and the Belgian Constitution in the other. He is looking across the park towards the busy street that bears his name, Rue Belliard.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
