10 Apr A Family of Pissing Statues: Manneken Pis, Jeanneke Pis and Zinneke Pis

Many of you may know about the famous Manneken Pis statue in Brussels. You know, the statue of the little boy that is peeing into a fountain? But did you know that this little boy also has a sister and dog, who also seem to have the same problem of relieving themselves in public? It is true, Brussels seem as though it is getting taken over by the Pis family one by one. Of course, I just had to drag poor Micah around to find them all.

Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis is the most famous of the three statues and stands not far from the Grand Place, doing his business for the whole world to see. He is much smaller than you would imagine, only two feet tall–it is funny how a relatively tiny statue can garner such large crowds. During different times of the year, he is dressed in costume, apparently he has over 800 (!), but when we were there, he wasn’t wearing anything. There are many reasons and stories as to why this little boy is so famous, but it is said that he represents Brussels rebellious nature and history. If you enjoy the statue, you could even take one home in the form of chocolate, or you could give it as a gift. Who wouldn’t love to receive a gift of a peeing statue in the form of chocolate, right?

Jeanneke Pis

Next on the list is Jeanneke Pis, Manneken Pis’ little sister. Jeanneke must have taken some pointers from her brother because she squats over a fountain doing her business for the world to see as well. For some reason, poor Jeanneke is behind bars at the end of a small side street across from Delirium Cafe–hardly a place for such a little girl to hang out. This statue is a bit harder to find, as it is located at the end of a dead end street. I was a little taken aback by the way she was squatting–I guess I should have expected it since she is a girl and all, but it is in your face and kind of a little creepy! Rumor has it that a restaurant owner put her there to attract more people to his almost hidden restaurant. Whatever the truth is, the restaurant is gone, but the statue remains and still attracts many visitors to this day.

Zinneke Pis

Last up on the search for the pissing statues is the hardest one to find of all, Zinneke Pis, which is the dog. Manneken and Jeanneke trained their dog the only way they knew how–find a public place, and let it flow, although he is not actually a working fountain like the other two. Located along a quiet unassuming street, the dog was installed as a mascot for the city. Many people in Brussels do not like the marketing reasons behind the dog, but after his arrival, the surrounding area did develop into a nicer area, with more shops and restaurants.

Even though the statues are quirky, they are fun to check out–you never know what you could discover along the way. Have you ever visited any of these statues or anything similar?

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