Manneken Pis
Coordinates: 50°50′42″N 4°21′00″E / 50.845°N 4.35°E
 | |
| Artist | Jerome Duquesnoy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1388: original version 1619: current version |
| Type | Bronze |
| Dimensions | 61 cm (24 in) |
| Location | Brussels |
Manneken Pis (literally Little Man Pee in Marols, a Dutch dialect spoken in Brussels, also known in French as le Petit Julien), is a famous Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619. It bears a similar cultural significance as Copenhagen's Little Mermaid.
Location
History and legends
Traditions
The statue is dressed in costume several times each week, according to a published schedule which is posted on the railings around the fountain. His wardrobe consists of several hundred different costumes, many of which may be viewed in a permanent exhibition inside the City Museum, located in the Grand Place, immediately opposite the Town Hall. The costumes are managed by the non-profit association The Friends of Manneken-Pis, who review hundreds of designs submitted each year, and select a small number to be produced and used.
Although the proliferation of costumes is of twentieth-century origin, the occasional use of costumes dates back almost to the date of casting, the oldest costume on display in the City Museum being of seventeenth-century origin. The changing of the costume on the figure is a colourful ceremony, often accompanied by brass band music. Many costumes represent the national dress of nations whose citizens come to Brussels as tourists; others are the uniforms of assorted trades, professions, associations, and branches of the civil and military services.
On occasion, the statue is hooked up to a keg of beer. Cups will be filled up with the beer flowing from the statue and given out to people passing by.
The statue has been stolen seven times, the last time being the 20th century by students from the village of Broxeele, a town with the same etymology as Brussels.
There is also a statue of Manneken Pis in Tokushima, Japan, which was a present from the Belgian embassy (Tokushima being twinned with Brussels).
Since 1987, the Manneken has had a female equivalent, Jeanneke Pis, located on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidélité / Getrouwheidsgang.
Replicas
Although the Manneken Pis in Brussels is the best-known, others exist. There is an ongoing dispute over which Manneken Pis is the oldest - the one in Brussels or the one in Geraardsbergen. Similar statues can also be found in the Belgian cities of Hasselt, Ghent, in the town of Braine-l'Alleud (where it is called "Il Gamin Quipiche"), and in the French Flemish village of Broxeele, a town with the same etymology as Brussels. In Bali, Indonesia, there is a Belgian restaurant called Mannekepis. It even has the exact replica of the statue standing in front of the restaurant, urinating.
In popular culture
A promotional expansion for the board game 7 Wonders allows a player to build an eighth wonder of the world; Mannekin-Pis. Manneken Pis is also the name of a book by .
See also
References
External links
- Brussels.be, Official website with calendar of costume changes
- Manneken-Pis.tk, Official web site of Manneken Pis of Geraardsbergen
- Ilotsacre.be, Manneken Pis: virtual visit, pictures and costumes
- VisitOnWeb.com, Manneken Pis in 360 degrees
- Westhoek.be, "Manneken Pis from Koksijde"
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manneken_Pis&oldid=458818422
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