Brussels' Famous Boy

Manneken-Pis is the symbol of Brussels. A few blocks from the Grand Place, this very small (under two feet) bronze statue of a peeing boy is tucked into a corner. You could almost miss seeing him if it weren't for the crowd of people gathering in the street and getting their photos taken with him.

The birth of Manneken-Pis is said to date back to the 8th century when a visiting bishop was asked to stay in the home of a Brussels lord who did not have an heir. The legend goes that after the bishop promised to intercede with God on his behalf, a child was born nine months later--one whose first act was to pee so high that he splashed the bishop's beard. When the lord ran away with the lady who conducted the baby's baptism (leaving his wife), the bishop declared his punishment: "Your only son will grow no bigger and never stop peeing."



That's just one legend about the peeing boy. Believe it or not, there are five additional legends throughout the centuries which tell other stories of his existence! The current statue was made in 1619 to provide drinking water for the neighborhood. In fact, at that time, because Manneken-Pis was knighted by the occupying French king, Louis XV, French soldiers had to salute the continually-pissing child every time they passed.

Although he was naked when Sam and I accidently stumbled by his location on the first day, it is a tradition for visiting VIPS to bring the statue an outfit. Also, he often dresses up in a costume for special occasions. A room in the City Museum contains many of his 800+ outfits--for example, those of a cosmonaut, a sultan, a musketeer, an Elvis Presley impersonator, various military uniforms, etc., etc..

And of course, there are all sorts of "takes" and souvenirs in Brussels depicting the famous little boy.

Long story short, Manneken-Pis has always been--and still is--a fountain, even if the monument which visitors admire today no longer fulfills the role it once had in Brussels' former water distribution system.

Despite all the legends behind the reasons for the little boy, in the end, the city commissioned it to show the freedom and joie de vivre of living in Brussels--where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then, of course, pee. However, I noticed on the day we took his photos, he wasn't!?