Manneken Pis
- Address:Rue de l'Étuve and rue du Chêne in Ilôt Sacré, Brussels
- Admission:Free
Must-Do Experience, Fountain, Monument - Historical, Statue / Monument
4:37 PM Friday, May 25
Passing clouds. Mild.
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The Manneken Pis, a bronze fountain statue by Jerome Duquesnoy, dates from 1619 when it replaced a stone statue from the 1400s. The residents of Brussels have embraced this diminuitive statue of a small boy urinating into a fountain as a symbol of their irreverence.
There are many stories behind the Manneken Pis with most either referring to a young boy urinating on a fire/explosive device thus saving the city from destruction by invading armies or the lost son of a nobleman who was later found urinating in a fountain.
The well-loved statue has over 800 costumes and will often wear the national dress of visiting dignitaries. You might otherwise see him dressed in football colors or as a plumber or even Elvis. His costume is changed around 30 times a year. These occasions are marked with brass-band music and an unveiling of the newly kitted-out statue. Sometimes Manneken Pis produces beer to celebrate with the people of Brussels.
Latest Reviews All Manneken Pis Reviews »
Very interesting! Started at Godiva in the Grand Place. Walked through the city and saw a lot of the sights. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. Stopped at 5 other chocolatiers in the city. We made our own chocolates at Cote D'Or!! It was great and then they gave us the most decadent hot chocolate I have ever had in my life! We tried a bunch of different chocolates there. Even tried the peppercorn chocolate (not so great). You will be glad that you did it. The tour starts at 0900 in the Grand Place and ends there approximately 1300. Our tour guide even spent the time to show us (after the tour) where the Janneken Pis was - the female version of the Manneken Pis. On our tour the Manneken was wearing a French military uniform! He was so tiny!!
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Although this tour was pricey, everyone in my group of five agreed it was well worth it. To our delight, the tour had more general Brussels history than we anticipated. Although we had tried our best to research everything about Brussels ahead of time and learn everything ourselves, nothing beats having a knowledgeable local guide at your disposal. The tour guide's insight into the chocolate shops and his recommendations for which to buy at and why were priceless. We appreciated that the overall group was kept small and intimate. The chocolate shops that we visited were very nice and welcoming, although we only got to sample 1-2 pieces at each. The chocolate museum and demonstration was also great. The workshop was a bit more amateur than I expected, but we all still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would do this tour again in a heartbeat.
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Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. It offered so much more than chocolate despite that being my main reason for going on the tour. The guide was friendly and knew his stuff. We started out on a walking tour of Brussels for about an hour, viewing some of the sights, then the chocolate tasting began. The workshop to make your own chocolates was great fun and really informative. I would highly recommend this tour.
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Mannekin Pis is an inconspicous city emblem. He's tucked away at the corner of rue de l'Étuve and rue du Chêne in Ilôt Sacré. From Grand-Place take the street to the left of the Town Hall and walk for three blocks, he is on the left. Keep an eye out as he is only 18 inches (45 centimeters) tall and if there's not a crowd you might miss him!
