A Mystery Weathervane in Antwerp for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed in Antwerp, Belgium.  Does it look familiar to anyone?

My husband took a walking tour of Antwerp and photographed this weathervane near the Plantin Moretus Museum.  We don't know the building or the history of this weathervane.  It's a complete mystery. 

This hand is very mysterious. 

This shape looked like a possible boat or ship.  It was also very mysterious. 

Online I saw a reference to a V-1 Flying Bomb weathervane in Antwerp, installed above a private house.  When I Googled the V-1 flying bomb I saw this photo below.  It was a match. 

The V-1 Flying Bomb was the famous "buzz bomb" or "doodlebug" during the Blitz in England during World War II.  It was an unmanned German missile.  It also terrorized civilians in Antwerp.  This was the precursor to today's cruise missile.  Antwerp, Belgium was hit by 2,448 V-1s from October 1944 to March 1945. It remains a mystery as to why this destructive missile was commemorated by a weathervane.  Perhaps it is symbolic of the resilience of the Antwerp citizens during World War II.  

The hand silhouette  on the finial above the vane remains a mystery!  If you know any details on this weathervane in Antwerp, please leave a comment below or email me at vrojomit@gmail.com  

For the truly curious:

V-1 Flying Bomb at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_flying_bomb

Click here to see over 550 other weathervanes worldwide:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday    

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Mystery Weathervane in Antwerp for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy,  posted August 20, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-mystery-weathervane-in-antwerp-for.html: accessed [access date]).