B for Bruges, Belgium for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed during a canal boat ride in Bruges, Belgium.

The weathevane can barely be seen above this

very, very tall steeple! 

This gilded banner has a letter B cut out in the center.  It was installed very high above a building in Bruges, barely visible from street level.  Thank goodness for zoom lenses on cameras!  If you look very carefully on the photo you can see two other gilded banners and two golden crowns on the other turrets of this building. 

For the truly curious:

Click here to see over 550 other Weathervane Wednesday posts from this blog:

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

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "B for Bruges, Belgium for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 3, 2025, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/09/b-for-bruges-belgium-for-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Lion Banner in Bruges, Belgium for Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was photographed in Bruges, Belgium.

If you look close you can see the lion banner above the church steeple.

Thank goodness for zoom lenses on cameras! 

This lion banner weathervane was spotted above a very tall steeple on a very narrow street in Bruges, Belgium.  There are traces of gilding on the banner.  The lion is a symbol of strength, valor, and nobility when used in heraldry, and in Christian symbolism the Lion of Judah is on the coat of arms for Jerusalem.  The Leo Belgicus ("Belgian Lion" in latin) is on the Belgian national coat of arms and is the national animal for Belgium.  

For the truly curious:

Click on this link to see over 550 other weathervane posts: 

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

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Lion Banner in Bruges, Belgium for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 27, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-lion-banner-in-bruges-belgium-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

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]).