Bernardus Reiger

At the beginning of the Maliebaan in Utrecht stands a bust of Bernardus Reiger, unveiled on 6 September 1909. Reiger led the city as mayor from 1891 until his death in 1908. Toon Dupuis sculpted it and J. D. van Looyen designed the pedestal. Financial backing came from Queen Emma, Princess Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik. Antwerp-born Dupuis also portrayed Rembrandt and Queen Emma, and taught at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.

City hall came late: he trained at the Royal Military Academy in Breda and served as a second lieutenant in the artillery. A partnership in a Utrecht beet sugar factory followed, and in 1877 he joined the city council. His years in office brought the city a tram network, an electricity plant, wider streets and new parks. He also set up a trade exchange, a grain exchange and a fruit hall, working closely with the business community. In 1901 Utrecht University made him an honorary doctor of state sciences. Across town, the Burgemeester Reigerstraat in Oudwijk bears his name.

The bust itself, though, has a stranger story. In April 1989 a squatting group called Bravo took it, demanded a million guilders and threatened to melt it into coins. For about half a year it stayed missing. In September 1989 it reappeared outside a project developer's office in Amsterdam.