Brussels, Belgium has become known for everything from chocolate to structures like the Grand Place and Atomium that have come to define the landscape. No matter how famous such things become though, none of them can match the notoriety of Manneken Pis (meaning “peeing boy” in Dutch) since it has become the unofficial icon of Brussels.
Manneken Pis is the best-known symbol of the people of Brussels and has been able to capture the sensibilities of the city and country in a way that few other monuments have achieved. It’s been around for hundreds of years but continues to have an incredible economic and cultural impact on the region.
From Fountain to Icon
Measuring only two-feet (61 cm) in height, the bronze Manneken Pis sculpture that sits in the center of Brussels is actually a copy that dates back to 1965. The original is kept in the Museum of the City of Brussels to protect a history and legacy that stretches back for centuries.
Legends about the statue’s origins vary from being inspired by a two-year-old Duke urinating on enemy soldiers in 1142 to a 14th-century story about a local boy relieving himself on a burning fuse set by enemies besieging the city. Another relates the statue as being offered as a thank-you to locals who helped an artist find his missing child. Still another has to do with a little boy who relieved himself on the house of a witch, and there are many more.
No matter the actual origin, most agree that the statue played an essential role in the distribution of drinking water beginning in the 15th century. It stood on a column and poured water into a double rectangular basin of stone. In 1619, the stone version of the piece was replaced by one in bronze. While the piece survived the bombardment of Brussels of 1695, it has been the victim of several notable thefts by both the French and British, and even by Belgian students. In 1817 it was broken into 11 pieces but then welded back together.
The installation of a water network in the 19th century meant that Manneken Pis no longer needed to provide a functional service as a fountain. By then it had already become part of Brussels folklore, thanks in part to this history, but moreso because of the unique way it has engaged and inspired the people in Brussels and audiences from all over the world.
Engaging and Inspiring the Community
In 1698, a governor gave the Manneken Pis its first tunic. By the 18th century, Manneken Pis was dressed at least 4 times a year, but that was just a sign of things to come. The statue now plays a full part in the city’s annual calendar and has an outfit for every occasion. His wardrobe contains more than 1,000 costumes.
The Manneken Pis is regularly dressed up, according to a published schedule posted on the railings of the fountain and managed by a non-profit organization. In the Musée de la Ville, housed in La Maison du Roi, visitors can discover costumes that range from regional dresses to a bullfighter outfit to an Elvis costume, but there are countless others that originate from all over the world. They can also be searched through online by country or theme.
Every dressing of the Manneken Pis is an event that attracts residents and visitors, and both can engage with leaders of the city to add to the wardrobe. For every gift, an official request must be sent to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. This demand is analyzed by a committee of members of the Friends of the Order of Manneken Pis and the representatives of the City of Brussels. After the agreement of the Board, an official ceremony of delivery is promoted and organized.
Audiences from all over the world have been able to engage with and be inspired by these costumes and the events, but the fact that residents of Brussels have embraced the piece in such a major way is what has fueled such an incredible impact on the culture and economy of the region.
Capturing the Spirit and Sensibilities of Brussels
The Manneken Pis statue is located between the rue de L’Étuve and rue Chene, on the south side of the Grand Place, but pictures and images of the piece can be found throughout the city. It appears on everything from items aimed at tourists to businesses that utilize the statue as part of their name and logo. This popularity has created a cottage industry around the sculpture that has allowed everyone from street vendors to the city itself to use the image of Manneken Pis to promote and sell a variety of goods and services.
The costume ceremonies and events centered on the Manneken Pis have given residents a sense of community that also pulls in countless visitors and activity into Brussels. The engagement the piece enables goes beyond those costumes though. At some of these events, bands will play in front of Manneken Pis while the statue itself will be hooked up to different flavors of Belgian beer. The beer is then poured from his fountain tip and given out to the public in a display that speaks to the sensibilities of the city and country and partially explains why it has become such an icon for Brussels.
The spirit of rebelliousness in Manneken Pis is evident, which is something the residents of Brussels have actively embraced. There’s also a lightheartedness to the piece, which is a sensibility that Brussels has cultivated for centuries. Other monuments have become synonymous with the cities where they’re located, but Manneken Pis is one of the only ones that truly represents the spirit and sensibilities of the area.
That impact has proved to be an inspiration for Brussels in countless ways, the least of which has led to the creation of Jeanneke Pis. The piece is a modern fountain and statue in Brussels, which depicts a little girl with her hair in pigtails, squatting and urinating. That piece along with Zinneke Pis provides further proof of the direct inspiration the original statue represents, as well as the literal ramifications that monuments can have on the look and feel of an entire city.
Manneken Pis has become the icon of Brussels in every sense of the term, and in doing so has created a legacy that is about much more than a single sculpture.
Transcending Purpose and Form
Manneken Pis showcases the power monuments have to serve as a means to attract an audience. The engagement the piece has been able to cultivate thanks to the numerous costumes it has worn over the decades further speaks to the countless and innovative ways that monuments can inspire both residents and visitors.
Few could have envisioned the kind of legacy Manneken Pis would enable when it was first erected, but that legacy is proof of the ability monuments of any size have to transcend their original purposes and form. When they do, these pieces can come to represent something that’s both significant and eternal.
