In the Footsteps of Opsinjoor

(interactive city game about Opsinjoor)

The legendary Opsinjoorke has been a celebrity in the Low Countries for centuries. Although often thought to originate in Antwerp, the tossed puppet actually comes from Mechelen. During processions and parades, he was flung into the air with a cloth—a tradition derived from the Spanish El Pelele, immortalized by Francisco Goya in a painting now in the Prado.

Opsinjoorke symbolized the unfaithful husband and incorrigible drunkard, publicly punished by literally being tossed upward.

In 1647, the wooden doll was carved by Valentijn van Landscroon. Over the centuries his name changed several times, until in 1775 he definitively became Opsinjoorke—after an incident in which an Antwerp man, Jacobus De Leeuw, was accused of attempting to steal the puppet during a Mechelen procession. His protest and the ensuing mockery transformed the puppet forever into the symbol of rivalry between Mechelen and the “Sinjoren” of Antwerp.

With In the Footsteps of Opsinjoor, Patrick Bernauw and Luc Borms breathe new life into this colorful legend. The city game guides players through Mechelen along places where the myth and history of Opsinjoorke remain palpable. Riddles, assignments, and a touch of folklore turn it into a lively quest connecting past and present in playful fashion.

 

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