Anyone who has been to Antwerp has undoubtedly heard of Lange Wapper. The well-known Belgian folk legend tells the story of a giant who changed shape and made the streets unsafe at night. You will encounter the tormentor in different ways in this city. The ghost even has its own statue at Het Steen castle.
Lange Wapper, the popular legend of Antwerp
Lange Wapper is a well-known folk legend from Belgium. He is mainly associated with Antwerp, but stories about him also circulate in Nijlen, Kessel, Wilrijk, Blankenberge and Bevel.
Lange Wapper was a tall, thin giant with a lanky appearance and a strikingly smooth chin. At night he made the streets of Antwerp unsafe. The devil mainly targeted drunks and naughty children. He could change shape and often started as a small man, gradually growing bigger. When Lange Wapper saw drunkards going through the streets, he chased and bullied them. He also scared people by looking into the windows of the highest floors.
He also disguised himself as a small child and sometimes played with children. He also hoped to be taken away by a woman in the guise of a baby or a white handkerchief . Legend has it that he enjoyed drinking breast milk. Once at the woman’s house he grew up again.
The giant loved water and liked to wander along the banks of the Scheldt. However, he absolutely did not love Maria. When this story became known, many statues of Mary were placed on the facades of houses. This would keep the tormentor away with his bullying. Lange Wapper fled further and further away from the statues, until he finally arrived at the Scheldt, fell in and drowned.
Statue Lange Wapper
Would you like to meet Lange Wapper in real life? Then visit the Het Steen castle in Antwerp. Here is a large statue of the well-known tormentor, which was made in 1962 by the Antwerp sculptor Albert Poels. The statue seems to look down on the visitor, emphasizing the enormousness of Lange Wapper. Opposite him are two men who are bent back, looking up at the legend. The address of Het Steen is Steenplein 1, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
Ghost walk in Antwerp
Would you like to find out more about the ghosts that wander around Antwerp? Then put on your walking shoes and join the Antwerp Ghostwalk. The guide will wait for you in historical clothing at the statue of Lange Wapper, at the bottom of Het Steen castle. From here you leave for an evening walk of about three kilometers through the old city center. The walking tour will last approximately two hours, uncovering the city’s dark history. All atrocities are covered, while you visit the houses and places where the stories take place. Murders, inexplicable phenomena and popular legends, nothing remains undiscussed! This ghost tour has no actors or scare effects.
References to Lange Wapper
It is clear that the giant is a famous character in Antwerp. Anyone who pays close attention will find several references to the tormentor in this city.
Statue at Het Steen
As already discussed, you will probably find the clearest reference to the popular legend at Het Steen castle. There is a large statue of Lange Wapper here.
De Lange Wapperbrug bridge project
You will also find a reference to the tormentor in the city’s infrastructure. A bridge yet to be built was named after him. However, construction never came to fruition. The Lange Wapper Bridge was part of the plan to complete the Antwerp ring road. The ring only runs past the city in the south, and not in the north. All traffic must therefore use the existing ring road. The arrival of the 2.4 kilometer long bridge would solve the traffic jam problems on Antwerp’s small ring road. In 2001, the costs were estimated at 0.55 billion euros. Four years later the estimate was increased to 1.345 billion euros.
There was a lot of criticism of this plan. The Lange Wapper Bridge would be located right next to the city and bring noise and pollution. In 2009, a referendum was held in which the residents of Antwerp spoke out against the bridge. The plan met with so much resistance that alternatives had to be sought. The bridge died on the drawing board. In 2010, the government officially abandoned the plan for the Lange Wapper Bridge and opted for a tunnel.
Pusjenellentheater
There is a pussycat theater in Antwerp that is named after the popular legend: the Pussies of the Lange Wapper. It is a marionette theater with rod puppets, not to be confused with hand puppets. The puppet is also referred to as pussy or pussy nel. The forearms, lower legs and head are made of wood, the clothing is made of rags. The dolls are 50 to 60 centimeters tall and are moved by two iron rods. The plays are only performed in the Antwerp dialect.
Lange Wapper in maritime shipping
The oldest sea scout group in Belgium is the FOS Lange Wapper, which has a fleet of twelve boats. A DEME dredger has also been named after Lange Wapper.
Student association Lange Wapper
In Leuven you will find a student club called Lange Wapper. The members mainly come from Antwerp and Voorkempen.
Dance association
The dance association Lange Wapper is located in Antwerp. During half-term fasting, the association performs the traditional sword dance on the Grote Markt and the Glove Market.
Lange Wapper in Suske and Wiske
You will also encounter Lange Wapper in the comics of Suske and Wiske. The ghost is an ally of the witch in the comic albums The Black Madam, Amoris van Amoras, The Disappeared Narrator and The Stuivende Stad.
Song by Wannes van de Velde
The tormentor is sung about by the Antwerp folk singer Wannes van de Velde in the song Lied van de Lange Wapper. This song was created in 1966 and contains references to the large statue at Het Steen castle.
Little Sofie and Lange Wapper
The children’s book Kleine Sofie en Lange Wapper by writer Els Pelgrom was published in 1984. The book is about a little girl and her cuddly toys. One of these cuddly toys has called itself Lange Wapper. However, the book does not respond to the popular legend of Antwerp.
Plein Wapper in Antwerp
At the Rubens House in Antwerp you will find the Wapper square. However, this has nothing to do with the popular legend. It is named after the painter Gustave Wappers. The square between Rubensstraat and Wappersstraat was created in 1077.