Manneken Pis

The Manneken Pis is the small bronze figure of a boy relieving himself into a fountain basin, and it has become the city's best-known mascot. A statue on this corner is first mentioned in documents from the mid-15th century. The bronze version was made by the sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder, commissioned in 1619 and probably installed the following year, and the blue stone niche around it dates from 1770. The figure on the street today is a replica that has been in place since 1965; the original is kept safely in the Brussels City Museum in the King's House on the Grand-Place.

Expect a surprise when you arrive: the statue is just 55.5 centimetres tall, and many visitors walk past before they realise they have found it. What makes it more than a curiosity is its wardrobe. The boy is regularly dressed in costumes given by countries, organisations and associations, and the collection now numbers around 1,000 outfits. The thousandth, designed by Jean-Paul Lespagnard, was presented in 2018. Many of the costumes are displayed at the GardeRobe MannekenPis, a small museum that opened in February 2017 at 19 Rue du Chêne, just up the street.

The statue appeals to families and anyone with a sense of humour, and it is a quick, free stop on any walk through the old town. Two later companions complete the set for those who enjoy the joke. Jeanneke Pis, a squatting girl installed in 1987, is tucked away in the Impasse de la Fidélité off the Rue des Bouchers, and Het Zinneke, a dog at a bollard, stands at the corner of Rue des Chartreux and Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Grains.

You only need a few minutes here, but the corner is small and becomes crowded in the middle of the day, so arrive early or in the evening if you want a clear photograph. Check whether the statue is wearing a costume on the day of your visit, as dressing ceremonies are part of the local calendar. The surrounding streets are full of waffle stands and chocolate shops aimed at visitors.

Manneken Pis sits at the junction of Rue du Chêne and Rue de l'Étuve, about five minutes' walk south-west of the Grand-Place. Combine it with the Brussels City Museum to see the original statue, and continue along Rue de l'Étuve towards the Marolles or the Sablon.