Brussels - Manneken Pis

Along the Rue de l'Etuve from the Musée de Costume is by far the best-known landmark in Brussels, the Manneken Pis, usually besieged by a throng of tourists. Although he can be traced back to at least 1388, nothing much is known about the origin of the figure of a little boy urinating, popularly referred to as "the oldest citizen of Brussels". The Manneken is however surrounded by various legends. According to one the fountain is a memorial to a courageous infant who averted a conflagration, according to another it commemorates the son of a count who succumbed to a pressing urge while taking part in a procession. The present statue was made in 1619 by Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder and has been stolen on several occasions though always