The most famous landmark of Brussels - the fountain "Manneken Pis"

At the intersection of Dubova and Bannaya streets, in the heart of the Belgian capital, is one of the most famous world sculptures and, undoubtedly, the most popular tourist attraction in Brussels - the fountain "Manneken Pis." It is a small statue of a small naked boy who pisses into the pool. And although similar compositions are available in other cities of the world (for example, in Gerardzbergen, Hasselt, Ghent have their "pissing boys"), near Brussels bronze sculpture annually gather thousands and thousands of tourists. Undeniably, the Belgian "Manneken Pis" is the most famous in the world.

History

A lot of legends go around the origin of this statue, and the most common one is associated with the name of Duke Godfrey Third. During the Grimbergen War, when the army of the monarch Gottfried of the Third Levensky fought with the enemy, his two-year-old son (this was Duke Godfrey the Third) was hanged in a basket on a tree so that the view of the future ruler would inspire the townspeople. The child allegedly peed on top of the warriors who fought under the tree, and they lost the battle.

There is another version. Brussels in the 14th century was under siege, the enemies sought to lay explosives and blow up the city walls. But behind them was watching a little boy, whose name was Julian. The child penned on the burning wick, due to which he extinguished the ammunition spread out by the enemy, and saved the city.

However, there is another story telling about the origin of the sculpture "The Manneken Pis." One day a wealthy merchant lost a small son. We gathered a large group of people for his search, every corner of the city was searched. And now a child was found peeing in the garden. The trader was immensely happy, and as a gratitude to the local residents decided to install a fountain in this place.

The author of the sculpture "Manneken Pis"

Where the truth is, and where the fiction, it is unlikely that now someone will know. For certain it is only known that the statue acquired its present form thanks to the craftsmanship of the court sculptor-mannerist Jerome Duchenois in 1619. And since 1695, she was repeatedly abducted. Once it happened during the Napoleonic troops in Brussels, and the last time the "Manneken Pis" sculpture was stolen in the 1960s, after which it was replaced, as before, with a copy. In 1908, a silent French film was even filmed about the pursuit of the statue's captors.

Traditions

With this fountain there are many interesting curious traditions. For example, on holidays it is customary to replace a jet of water with beer or wine. Also from time to time the statue of the Manneken Pisces is dressed in costumes. The first outfit for sculpture, as the story goes, was created in 1968 by the elector of Bavaria Maximilian-Emmanuel, and since then it has turned not just into a tradition, but into a kind of homage to the guests of the city.

Change of costumes

On the fountain grid, a monthly list of all the outfits that the Manneken Pis will change within a month is posted monthly. Several hundred different kinds of costumes include a wardrobe statue. All outfits change strictly according to the list compiled by a non-profit organization called "Friends of the Manneken Pis." As a rule, a brass band plays at the ceremonies of changing clothes, and the action turns into a real holiday. Not far from the sculpture, in the central city square, is the Royal Museum, which presents an exposition of outfits numbering more than eight hundred copies. Many suits are the national dress of countries whose citizens visit the Belgian capital as tourists. Other vestments are the uniform of representatives of different professions, military services, associations and so on.

A varied wardrobe

In what only did not hang a statue of the "Manneken Pis"! For example, in honor of the semi-annual chairmanship in the European Union of Hungary, the boy was dressed in Hungarian hussar attire. In 2004, in order to draw attention to the problems of child soldiers on the initiative of the organization Amnesty International, he was dressed in the uniform of a soldier. The Russian cosmonaut's costume, the Santa Claus outfit, the urologist attire, the uniform of the United States Air Force cadet, the suit of the judo wrestler, the costumes of Dracula and the Inca evil spirit, and many others, were also used for the boy as an international cosmonaut mission.

Similar statues

It should be noted that, in an effort to keep the fountain of fountain, the Brusselians installed several similar compositions in the city. So, in 1987, not far from the "Manneken Pis", at the end of the alley of Fidelity, put "Pisayushchee devochku." According to one version, this statue was a parody of the world-famous symbol of the city. The author of the sculpture is Denis-Adrian Debouvri. The composition is a naked girl, who pisses into the tank, set below. The statue for security purposes is located in a niche, which is surrounded by a lattice.

In the center of Brussels there is another similar sculpture. It is a bronze statuette of a mongrel peeking dog, made in full size. The animal is depicted with a hind foot on the sidewalk column. This composition was created in 1999 by sculptor Tom Franzen. A dog of mixed breed, as the author testifies, symbolizes the unification of different cultures in Brussels. You can see the sculpture "Pissing dog" near the fountains "Pisayuschaya girl" and "Manneken Pis", which served as an idea for its creation. That's it, Belgian art!