This bronze fountain, completed in the 1880s, has a bit of interesting history behind it. The reason it's there is, according to some, that it symbolises the origins of the city's name. The fountain story is that a giant used to cut off the hand of any ship captain passing through the area without paying a toll, and then threw the hand into the river. However when the Roman army captain Brabo came along, he refused to pay and instead cut off the giant's hand and threw it in the river! The statue symbolises the moment when the Roman captain throws the hand into the river. The fountain, of course, bears his name. The most interesting part, though, is that a combination of Dutch words, (h)ant" (hand) and "werpen" (launch), have given Antwerp its name! Of course, there are also those who dispute this story and instead attribute Antwerp's name elsewhere. Interesting story, interesting statue and fountain. Worth a visit.
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