Manneken Pis is one of Brussels' famous, but more unusual attractions. The small boy peeing in the water fountain is to Brussels what the Statue of Liberty is to Manhattan, or Big Ben is to London. However, do not expect anything large, the statue is only a tiny 61cm (2ft) in height.
Astonishingly, the statue is regularly dressed in costumes, many of which have been presented by visiting heads of state. The first costume presented was in 1698, and since then the statue has been presented with well over 700 costumes - from Elvis Presley to Mickey Mouse, from a Tibetan monk to Christopher Columbus. (These costumes are housed in the Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles in the Grand Place). On special occasions the fountain is attached to a beer Keg and Manneken Pis urinates beer, which is served to onlookers to help them celebrate the occasion!
A stone statue of Mannekin Pis has stood at the corner of Rue de l'Etuve & Rue du Chene ( a couple of minutes walk from Grand Place) since at least the 15th century. The official history of Mannekn Pis can be traced back to the 13th of August 1619 when sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy was commissioned to make a bronze statue to replace a stone one that had become withered over time.
There are many myths about the origin of Manneken Pis. Some say the fountain was first erected in thanksgiving by a father who had lost his little boy, only to find him two days later urinating on the corner where the statue now stands. Another myth claims that during a seige of the city in the 14th century, an unknown boy stopped explosives from blowing up the city walls by peeing on the fuse, and the fountain was erected in gratitude.
The small boy has had an adventurous life over the centuries having been stolen on several occasions, but he always found his way home. In 1745, he was stolen by a French soldier, much to the annoyance of the local citizens. To make amends King Louis XV knighted Manneken Pis with the result that French soldiers had to salute the statue when they walked past it!
The original bronze Manneken Pis was stolen and damaged by a prisoner in 1817 - and as a consequence the Manneken Pis statue was re-cast.
Address
Corner of Rue de l'Etuve & Rue du Chene
(a couple of minutes walk from Grand Place)
How to Get There
Metro: Gare Centrale station
or Bourse Station
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