La Belgique reconnaissante, Statue in Ouchy, Lausanne, Switzerland

La Belgique reconnaissante is a bronze statue standing on a pale grey stone pedestal, located on the Quai de Belgique in Ouchy, Lausanne. The figure wears long pleated robes and holds a draped form against its chest, with one arm raised and its head turned slightly, while the pedestal bears the engraved inscription 'LA BELGIQUE RECONNAISSANTE' above 'A LA SUISSE HOSPITALIÈRE'.

The statue was offered by Belgium to Switzerland after the First World War and was inaugurated on 26 July 1930 in the presence of Belgian and Swiss officials. In the 1990s, efforts were made to keep it on the quay and to preserve the name Quai de Belgique when the Olympic Museum was being developed nearby.

The monument carries a message of thanks from Belgium to Switzerland for hosting Belgian refugees during the First World War, and its inscription makes that gratitude visible to anyone passing by. Today it remains a meeting point on the quay, where walkers pause to read the words and look out over the lake.

The statue stands outdoors on the lakeside quay, between the Beau-Rivage hotel and the Olympic Museum, so you can walk up to it at any time. The area is flat and open, making it easy to reach on foot or by public transport along the lakefront.

The sculptor, Ernest Wynants, was a friend and colleague of the painter Rik Wouters, who portrayed him in the painting 'L'homme à la pipe'. Old postcards show that the monument has not always faced the lake, indicating it was moved at some point.