Brussels, Day 3 - Manneken Pis

You can't go to Brussels and not go see the famous Manneken Pis. Sure, it's just a small statue of a young boy, relieving himself into a pool of water; but this is just as much a symbol for Brussels, as the Eiffel Tower is for Paris or the Fontana di Trevi for Rome.

The Manneken Pis has a really long history. This statue having been in place since 1619 (but there is apparently evidence there has been a similar figure in place here as early as 1451), although this is a replica - the real statue made by Jérôme Duquesnoy is safely kept at the Musée de la Ville, as other statues have been vandalised or stolen.

The funny thing about this statue is that it is actually dressed about half of the year!
Manneken Pis has its own wardrobe with over 1000 costumes in it, and he regularly receives new ones. This is a tradition that started already 1698, and continues today with visiting heads of state donating miniature versions of their national costume and other outfits.
One of the days we passed by, he was wearing this Special Olympics outfit, in honour of World Health Day:

Just up the road from the statue himself, you find the 'Garderobe Manneken Pis'. A small museum which shows a selection of his outfits, on rotation, about 140 pieces at a time. (Next to it this fabulous mural!)

Of course we had to visit that!

This costume came from the Lund Studentkår (?). So it's Swedish, although I wouldn't have guessed that, if it wasn't for the moose sign:

The collection is sorted in themes, like countries, folklore and designers:

You can also find costumes relating to sports, celebrities, charity and citizen associations and trade. We found a pilots costume, and both Mickey Mouse, Obelix and Santa Claus!

One of the biggest of his outfits, a traditional costume for a feudal Japanese overlord, a Daimyo:

This is the oldest outfit in the collection. Displayed is only a replica though, due to the fragile state of the garment itself, made of brocade blue silk and embellished with silver and gold thread.
This outfit was a gift from Louis XV in 1747, as an apology after his soldiers tried to steal the statue. The King also declared Manneken Pis a knight of the Order of Saint-Louis.

Since 1945, this sewing pattern has been used to make the various outfits. A complete outfit includes shoes and a hat, and very often various accessories.
Manneken Pis receives about 20-30 new outfits every year. To donate an outfit, a request must be sent to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Brussels.

If you want to check out the full wardrobe of Manneken Pis, you can find all his costumes online here; together with more information. For example you can find out how to dress this famous statue, which is not easy as his feet are attached to a plinth, and his hands to his body. There is actually someone whose job is to be the "dresser" for Manneken Pis!

A fascinating little museum! Well worth a visit for sure!