Manneken Pis


Manneken Pis is a landmark bronze fountain sculpture in the centre of Brussels, depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. It was designed by and put in place in 1618 or 1619. The current statue is a replica which dates from 1965. The original is kept in the Brussels City Museum. Manneken Pis is the best-known symbol of the people of Brussels. It also embodies their sense of humour and their independence of mind.
Manneken Pis is located only five minutes' walk from the Grand Place, at the junction of Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat and the pedestrian Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat. This site is served by the premetro station Bourse/Beurs and the bus stops Grand Place/Grote Markt and Cesar de Paepe.

History

Origins of Manneken Pis

The 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 be found, very schematically, in a painting by Denis Van Alsloot, representing Brussels' Ommegang of 1615 and in a preparatory drawing to this painting.
The first statue was replaced by a new bronze version, commissioned in 1619. This tall bronze statue, on the corner of Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue des Grands Carmes/Lievevrouwbroerstraat, was made by Brussels' sculptor Hieronimus Duquesnoy the Elder, father of Jérôme Duquesnoy the Young and the famous François Duquesnoy. It was probably cast and installed in 1620. During this time, the column supporting the statue and the double rectangular basin collecting water were completely remodeled by Daniel Raessens.

During its history, the statue faced many hazards. It survived undamaged the bombardment of Brussels of 1695 by the French army, but the pipes having been affected, it could not deliver its water for some time. A pamphlet published the same year recounts this episode. This text is the oldest attesting that Manneken Pis had become "an object of glory appreciated by all and renowned throughout the world". It is also the first time that it served as a symbol for the people of Brussels. It is also traditionally said that after the bombardment, it was triumphantly placed again on its pedestal. On that occasion, the following passage from the Bible was inscribed above its head : In petra exaltavit me, et nunc exaltavi caput meum super inimicos meos. As shown by an engraving by Jacques Harrewijn, dating from 1697, the fountain was no longer located on the street, but in a recess at the corner of Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat and Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat.
In 1770, the column and the double rectangular basin disappeared; the statue was integrated into a new decor, in the form of a stone niche in rockery style, originating from another dismantled fountain of Brussels. The water simply flowed through a grating in the ground, which was replaced by a basin in the 19th century. In its new setting, Manneken Pis gives the impression of being smaller than in its original layout.
The whole structure is protected by railings, the last version of which dates from 1851. The latter prevented access to water, relegating the fountain to a decorative and symbolic role. It is also the case, around the same time, of the other fountains in Brussels. This correlates with efforts by the City of Brussels, starting in 1855, to allow for the distribution of drinking water in homes.
The figure has repeatedly been the object of theft or attempted theft. Legend has it that the statue was removed in 1745 and found in the Flemish town of Geraardsbergen. As a sign of their appreciation, the people of Brussels gave this city a replica of the statue. In reality, the first attempted theft was made in 1747 by a group of French grenadiers stationed in Brussels. The population rebelled against this deed and threatened a bloody revenge. To calm things down, the King of France, Louis XV, offered a gentleman's gown of brocade, embroidered with gold, to Manneken Pis. He also authorised him to carry the sword, and decorated him with the Cross of St. Louis.
The statue was stolen in 1817 by the fugitive Antoine Licas. The perpetrator was heavily punished; he was condemned to forced labour for life, and was first tied for an hour to stocks on the Grand Place. The original statue was broken into 11 pieces during this abduction and was restored by a specialised welder, under the supervision of sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle. The pieces were matched and used to make a mold in which the bronze statue was poured. The statue was then screwed onto a new base marked "1620 - REST 1817".

20th century–present

Manneken Pis experienced similar misadventures in the 20th century. Two attempted thefts occurred in 1955 and 1957. Some accounts say that it has been stolen up to seven times; in January 1963 by students of the Antwerp student association "De Wikings" of the Sint-Ignatius Handelshogeschool, now part of the Antwerp University, who "hijacked" the statue for five days before handing it over to the Antwerp authorities. The local and international press covered the story, contributing to the students' collection of funds donated to two orphanages. Things were more serious when it disappeared in 1965; the statue had been broken by the thief and only the feet and ankles remained. In June 1966, the Antwerp magazine De Post received an anonymous phone call, signaling that the body was in the Charleroi Canal. It was found there by divers, sent by the magazine, and was brought back to Brussels on 27 June. Restored once again, the statue was sheltered and the original version is now kept and displayed on the second floor of the Brussels City Museum, at the Maison du Roi/Broodhuis, on the Grand Place. The statue now on display on the corner of Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat and Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat is an identical copy.
In late 2018, it was discovered by city technician Régis Callens that the basin of the statue had developed a leak, leading to a reported 1,000-1,500 liters of water being used per day. The leak occurred for an unknown number of years, unnoticed among the several hundred water features in the City of Brussels and was only later discovered with the help of Shayp water monitoring technology. The statue received a temporary fix in March 2019, with a permanent recirculating system set to be installed. The solution was announced during Brussels Water Week where city officials cited the situation as motivation to check for similar problems in other fountains.

Legends

There are several legends behind Manneken Pis, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfrey III of Leuven. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke. The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.
Manneken Pis is sometimes given the nickname of Petit Julien in French or Julianske in Dutch, which in fact refers to a now-disappeared fountain of Julian, by mistakenly confusing two well-distinct fountains.

Traditions

Costumes and folklore

Manneken Pis is dressed in costumes, several times each week, according to a published schedule, which is posted on the railings around the fountain. Since 1954, 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. His wardrobe consists of around one thousand different costumes, many of which may be viewed in a permanent exhibition inside the City Museum, located on the Grand Place, immediately opposite the Town Hall. In February 2017, a specially designed museum, at 19, rue du Chêne/Eikstraat, called Garderobe MannekenPis, opened its doors.
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. In 1756, an inventory indicates that Manneken Pis had five complete costumes. From 1918 to 1940, he was offered some thirty costumes. But it was especially after 1945 that the movement took on an exceptional dimension; he had more than 400 costumes in 1994, more than 750 in 2005, and more than 950 in 2016. The costume change, 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 certain occasions, the statue is hooked up to a keg of beer. Cups are filled up with the beer flowing from the statue and given out to passers-by.

Replicas

In Belgium

Although Brussels' Manneken Pis 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 Koksijde, Hasselt, Ghent, Bruges, in the town of Braine-l'Alleud, and in the French Flemish village of Broxeele, a town with the same etymology as Brussels.

Internationally

Since the 20th century, numerous copies or imitations of Manneken Pis have been created both in Belgium and abroad. It is necessary to distinguish the official copies offered by the City of Brussels from copies and imitations carried out privately by admirers of the little statue.
Official copies were offered to:
In many countries, replicas in brass or fiberglass are common swimming or garden-pool decorations. Many copies exist worldwide as garden ornaments. Manneken Pis has also been adapted into such risqué souvenir items as ashtrays and corkscrews.
A copy of the statue stands in the Danish town of Bogense.
In September 2002, a Belgian-born waffle-maker set up a replica in front of his waffle stand in the Orlando Fashion Square mall, in Orlando, Florida. He recalled the legend as "the boy who saved Brussels from fire by extinguishing it with his urine". Some shocked shoppers made a formal complaint. Mall officials said that the waffle-shop owner did not follow procedures when he put up the statue and was therefore in violation of his lease.
In contrast, there is a similar statue in Rio de Janeiro, in front of the quarters of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, a famous Brazilian football club. There, the presence of the statue is taken lightly, and it has even been adopted as a mascot by the club. Fans usually dress it with the club's jersey, after important wins.
A working replica of Manneken Pis stands on the platform of Hamamatsuchō Station in Tokyo, Japan. The statue is a great source of pride for station workers who dress it in various costumes—traditional and otherwise—at different times of year.

Statues inspired by Manneken Pis

Since 1987, Manneken Pis has had a female equivalent, Jeanneke Pis, located on the east side of a small alley called Impasse de la Fidélité/Getrouwheidsgang, near Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat, representing a little girl squatting in the act of urinating. It feeds a small fountain. It is, however, less illustrious than its masculine counterpart.
Het Zinneke, depicting a dog urinating against a marker, can be seen as a reference to Manneken Pis. It is, however, not associated with a fountain. Zinneke means bastard in the dialect of Brussels.

In popular culture

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