Manneken Pis

is a landmark in central Brussels, Belgium. It is a bronze statue,   in size. IIt is a bronze fountain sculpture. It shows a  puer mingens; a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. It has existed since at least the middle of the 15th century. Manneken Pis was redesigned by the Brabantine sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder  and put in place in 1619. Its stone niche in rocaille style dates from 1770. The statue has been repeatedly stolen or damaged throughout its history. Since 1965, a replica has been displayed.  The original is in the Brussels City Museum.

Manneken Pis is one of the best-known symbols of Brussels and Belgium. It inspired several legends; there are many simliar statues, both in Belgium and abroad. The figure is regularly dressed up and its wardrobe consists of around one thousand different costumes. Since 2017, they have been exhibited in a dedicated museum called GardeRobe MannekenPis. Owing to its self-derisive nature, Manneken Pis is also an example of belgitude (French; ), as well as of folk humour (zwanze) popular in Brussels.

Manneken Pis is approximately five minutes' walk from the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), at the junction of the / and the pedestrian /. This site is served by the premetro (underground tram) station Bourse/Beurs (on lines 4 and 10), as well as the bus stop / (on lines 33, 48 and 95).

Statues inspired by Manneken Pis
Manneken Pis is not the only peeing statue in Brussels. Since 1987, it has had a female equivalent, Jeanneke Pis ("Little Pissing Joan"), located on the eastern side of the / ("Fidelity Alley"), a narrow cul-de-sac some  long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed /, in central Brussels. The  bronze sculpture represents a little girl with short pigtails, squatting and urinating on a blue-grey limestone base. It feeds a small fountain and is now protected from vandalism by iron bars. It is, however, less illustrious than its masculine counterpart.
There's also the statue of a dog urinating much in the same manner, called Zinneke Pis. It was erected in 1998.

References

Bibliography









Category:Belgian culture
Category:Buildings and structures in Brussels
Category:Statues