Maenneken Pis

Geschiedenis

Manneken Pis is a landmark small bronze sculpture in Brussels, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin. It was designed by and put in place in 1618 or 1619. The current statue dates from 1965.Manneken Pis is the best-known symbol of the people of Brussels. It also embodies their sense of humour and their independence of mind.EtymologyTo be precise, the real name of the statue is Menneke Pis. In fact, in Flemish or Dutch, but also in the dialect of Brussels, een manneke means a small man, whereas een menneke means a little boy (it is the diminutive of men: boy).Manneken Pis is sometimes given the nickname of Petit Julien or Julianske ("Little Julien"), which in fact refers to a now-disappeared fountain of Julian (Juliaenkensborre), by mistakenly confusing two well-distinct fountains.Location and accessibilityThe statue is located in the centre of Brussels, only five minutes walk from the Grand Place, at the junction of the Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat and the pedestrian Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat.This site is served by the premetro station Bourse.HistoryOrigins of the Manneken PisThe earliest mention of the existence of Manneken Pis can be found in an administrative text, dating from 1451–1452, about the water lines supplying the fountains of Brussels. From the beginning, the fountain played an essential role in the distribution of drinking water. It stood on a column and poured water into a double rectangular basin of stone. The only representations of this first statue can been found, very schematically, in a painting by Denis Van Alsloot, representing the Brussels' Ommegang of 1615 and in a preparatory drawing to this painting.