Madame Chapeau (Madame Hat). The most beloved old lady in Brussels

Once an old woman was walking from the market along one of the streets of Brussels. She had a flirty hat on her head, and in her hands a bag with a rabbit and vegetables. The venerable lady was obviously in a hurry to go home, but at the corner of the street she slowed down and stopped. She unhurriedly pulled her glasses out of her bag, carefully placed them on the very tip of her narrow nose and looked around. After making sure that no one was watching her, she took out a small wallet from her bag and began to count the money. Madame Chapo, and that was the name of the woman, and did not suspect that she would stay so long in this place.

Today, cast in bronze, she stands alone on the same street and counts her money as before. The people of Brussels love Madame Chapeau and annually hold a celebration in her honor. For some time now, she even became the heroine of the play. At one of the premieres, the actress who was supposed to play the old woman failed, and her role was assigned to a man. The performance turned out to be funny.

Since then, Madame Chapo has been played exclusively by representatives of the stronger sex.
She is rarely written about in tourist guides and you will not find her souvenirs, but the city has entrusted her with a responsible mission. Madame Chapo is a symbol of the Brussels pickpocket campaign, because none of them succeeded and is unlikely to succeed in stealing her money.