You aren't signed in     Sign In    Help

"Manneken Pis" (Little Man Piss) in Brussels, Belgium

"Manneken Pis" (Little Man Piss) in Brussels, Belgium by mambo1935.
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.
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.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis
@Brussels, Belgium 

Comments

view profile

~flutterby~ says:

lol!! that's funny!! nice shot!!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

This is the one and only ORIGINAL in the whole world (actually the statue is very small)! thank you for compliment!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

Gadjo Dilo  Pro User  says:

Great! Many thanks for the info.
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

You are more than welcome!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

ONE/MILLION  Pro User  says:

Little Man.... Big Piss !
;-)
You have Wonderful Photo's!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

ONE/MILLION, thanks for compliment!
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

NupurB  Pro User  says:

Very nice shot.Statue in the picture is very clear.
Posted 25 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

NupurB - thanks for view!
Posted 25 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

NupurB - thanks for fave!
Posted 25 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

Pichote says:

Did you see him dressed up with a particular outfit?
Did you enjoy any Belgian beer?
Posted 24 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

Pichote - yes I did - thanks for view!
Posted 24 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

J&J2007 - thanks for fave!
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

Joe Landers - thanks for fave!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

Viajes.net says:

Bonita fotografia !!!

Blogged: El “Manneken Pis” de Bruselas

Te gustaria añadir esta bonita fotografia al grupo de viajes.net www.flickr.com/groups/viajesnet/ de flickr ?
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

Viajes.net - thanks for comment!
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

carovix - thanks for fave!
Posted 8 months ago. ( permalink )

view profile

mambo1935 says:

glasslisa - thanks for fave!
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )

Would you like to comment?

Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).

[?]
view photos Uploaded on May 24, 2006
by mambo1935

mambo1935's photostream

200
uploads

This photo also belongs to:

THE VOYAGES (Set)

165
items

fountains (Pool)

Public Art (Pool)

Your "Postcard" Shot (Pool)

Brussels (Pool)

visit the world - the travel guide (Pool)

Photos Around The World (Pool)

Travel Photography (Pool)

Europe in Pictures (Pool)

This Is Europe (Pool)

My Happy Place~4 pics per day~please comment (Pool)

Tags

Click this icon to see all public photos and videos tagged with Pis Pis
Click this icon to see all public photos and videos tagged with Man Man
Click this icon to see all public photos and videos tagged with Boy Boy
Click this icon to see all public photos and videos tagged with EU EU
Click this icon to see all public photos and videos tagged with son son

Additional Information

All rights reserved Anyone can see this photo

Add to your map