Set in semi-circular niches beside the front doors of most homes, these ground-level holes are often overlooked but also fascinate many people. They're actually  boot scrapers, used by visitors to clean the mud off their shoes before entering the house. They’ve been around since the 18th century and are almost like a predecessor to the modern door-mat. Like any functional piece of architecture, many of these iron pieces are highly decorative, complementing the overall design of the building they are attached to.

To give these historical memorabilia a new meaning: a community project transforms them in tiny artworks inspired by stories of the people who live there. To avoid spoilers and enhance the fun we don't share the exact location so you need to look for them. Happy hunting.

In the tradition of the many Mary Statues in our beautiful city has, and because I have an extensive collection of statues myself, a mini-chapel in the foot scraper seemed very appropriate to me. My contribution has been limited to supplying the statue, the further interpretation is due to Hausgemacht.
We are very happy with our own Mariake, on high days she is lit with a candle 😊.
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In de traditie van de vele Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-Beeldjes die onze mooie stad rijk is, aangezien ze onze patrones is, en omdat ik zelf een uitgebreide verzameling Maria-beeldjes heb, leek mij een mini-kappelletje in de voetschraper zeer toepasselijk. Mijn bijdrage heeft zich beperkt tot het leveren van het beeldje, de verdere invulling is te danken aan Hausgemacht.

Wij zijn zeer blij met ons eigen Mariake, op hoogdagen wordt ze verlicht met een kaarsje 😊.