Memorial The Unknown War Woman

At the initiative of the Leuven Peace Movement and with the support of the city of Leuven and the university, a statue was unveiled on November 11, 2021 for the unknown war woman.
It is located on Benedenplein, also known as Jeanne Devosplein, behind the station.

The official name of the artwork, sculpted by Liliane Versluys from Leuven, is
"The Unknown War Woman
Peace Needs Women
Leuven, November 11, 2021".

The artwork depicts a pieta, but not in the classical way.
On the one hand, it is a woman who grieves for another woman. On the other hand, a third woman points to a future full of peace.
The statue does not refer to any concrete war, but to the ideal of lasting peace. According to the peace movement, women are also major victims of wars. They lose a husband or child, they are raped or abused, and so on.
Because of their particular vulnerability to violence, women are the first stakeholders to protest against war and lack of tolerance.
History shows that women make their own contribution to peace and solidarity and that they are indispensable in the process of sustainable peacebuilding. That's why they deserve a statue.

Source: VRT news (T. Van Den Hoof) and Het Nieuwsblad (H. Smitz)

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• Text: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck