Statue 'The Passerby 2'

This statue, unveiled on May 30, 2009, shows two figures. There is the portrait of the well-known politician and resident of Hageland, Gaston Geens, created by artist Maarten Ceulemans. Next to it is the head of ‘the passerby’, an anonymous resident of the region, made by sculptor Jan Rosseels. Both figures are symbolically looking in different directions.

This statue not only pays tribute to the first minister-president of Flanders and symbolizes the interaction between politics and the population, but it should also remind us of the difficult economic situation and living conditions in Hageland.

From the mid-19th century until the 1970s, Hageland was “a region that cannot feed its people”. Men, women, and children went to Wallonia for seasonal work, picking beets and grain. Young men became miners, first in the Borinage and later also in the Kempen. Women worked in the canning industry in Leuven. The region was largely agricultural, quite poor, and fragmented into small holdings. Additional income was earned through the cultivation of fruit and strawberries.

In the 1950s, Geens, as a student of Professor Gaston Eyskens, conducted a study on the economic conditions in Hageland. The conclusion was clear: this region needed training, education, and local employment. In his later career, he would follow local issues and help ensure financial support through subsidies. All political parties were involved in the emancipation of this development area recognized by Europe. As a result, the establishment of local vocational schools like SIBA, SIMA, and special education, as well as the development of the regional industrial estate Nieuwland, took place in Aarschot.

Jan Rymenams