Manneken Pis

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Manneken Pis ("little man piss" in English), is a Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Similar statues can be found in the towns of Geraardsbergen and Hasselt.

There are several legends behind this statue, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfried II of Brabant. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke (currently Neder-over-Heembeek). The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung it in a tree, to encourage them. From there, he urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.

Another legend goes like this: in the 14th century, Brussels was under siege by a foreign power. The city had held their ground for quite some time. The attackers had thought of a plan to place explosive charges at the city walls. A little boy named Juliaanske from Brussels happened to be spying on them as they were preparing. He urinated on the burning fuse and thus saved the city. Image:2005 manneke pis05.jpg

There was already a similar statue made of stone in the middle of the 15th century, perhaps as early as 1388. The statue was stolen several times. In 1619 it was replaced by a bronze statue, created by Franco-Flemish Baroque sculptor Jerôme Duquesnoy.

On many occasions the statue is dressed in a costume. His wardrobe now consists of several hundred different costumes. According to an article posted in the History section of http://www.manneken-pis.com, the statue was at one time used to dispense liquor.

The costumes are changed according to a schedule managed by the non-profit association Les Amis de Manneken-Pis, in ceremonies that are often accompanied by brass band music. When the boy's stream is turned on after dressing, the build-up of pressure after such a long abstinence can lead to bystanders being sprinkled, to general delight.

Since the mid-1990s, the Manneken has had a female equivalent, Jeanneke Pis.

Photos of the statue in close-up often give a false impression of its size; some tourists are disappointed to find it much smaller than expected. Image:MannekenPisMilieu20040625 CopyrightKaihsuTai.JPG

In the United States, replicas in brass or fiberglass are commonplace swimming- or garden-pool decorations. Manneken Pis adapted as a corkscrew is a common souvenir, considered most risqué [1].

However, in September 2002 a Belgian waffle-maker in Florida experienced first-hand the cultural gap between Europe and the United States when he set up a replica in front of his waffle stand in the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, Florida. The Belgian owner recalled the legend as 'the boy who saved Brussels from fire by extinguishing it with his urine' (confusing the legend with an incident in 'Gulliver's Travels' perhaps). Florida's shocked shoppers made a formal complaint. Mall officials said that the waffle-shop owner Assayag did not follow procedures when he put up the statue and was in violation of his lease.

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External links

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