A 400-Year-Long Bathroom Break: The Story of Manneken Pis

There is a statue in Brussels that is nothing short of remarkable

This mannequin piece! The mannequin piece! The mannequin piece! Two feet tall, the mannequin piece has survived wars, thefts, bombings, fire, and everyday hooligans

It's become a symbol of the people of Brussels, a tribute to their enduring spirit and sense of humor

The mannequin piece, please! Look, look, look! Look, look, look! Hi, I'm Claire, and in this video, we're going to learn about the mannequin piece's

disputed origin stories, its historical role throughout the centuries, and its many traditions

and fabulous costumes today. First off, how did Mannequin Peace get there? No one is exactly certain

but the first time it shows up is in an administrative document from the 1450s

describing the pipework getting the city of Brussels water. The first time we get a look

the original fountain is 200 years later in this painting by Denis van Alswut of Brussels' Amagang

procession in 1615. Here in the upper left corner, we can see that Mennequin Peace stood on a

freestanding column, pouring water into a large stone basin. Fountains at the time played a crucial

role in supplying cities with clean drinking water and served as public meeting places for anyone

even the very poor. Okay okay but why make a statue of a kid taking a leak There are quite a few legendary origin stories One story says that Brussels was under siege and the attackers were planning to blow up the city walls A little boy was spying

on them as they were setting the explosives and peed on the burning fuse, saving the city

Another story says that a small boy went missing from his mother when she was shopping in the city

center. Panicked, the mother instigated a citywide search, which included the mayor for her son

who was found urinating on the corner of a street, and the statue was eventually erected as tribute

My favorite story, though, is of two-year-old Duke Godfrey III of Leuven, whose troops were in a battle

The Duke's soldiers put him in a basket in a tree, overlooking the battlefield to boost their morale

I have so many questions. And just as the battle was about to be lost, the little Duke rose from his perch and peed all over at the enemy troops

who eventually lost the battle. Now that is most certainly a tale deserving of a statue

The mannequin piece got its first facelift by sculptor Jerome Ducanoy the Elder

It was cast in bronze and installed around 1620 on a new column in Basin

made by stonecutter Daniel Rassens. In 1695, the French army bombarded Brussels during the Nine Years' War

and while the statue wasn't hurt, the pipes were damaged. At that point, the statue had become a symbol of the people of Brussels

and a pamphlet from that time states that Mannequin peace is now an object of glory

appreciated by all and renowned throughout the world Pretty famous bathroom break if you ask me Over the subsequent centuries the statue got a few more makeovers eventually landing in a stone niche with protective railings that prevented access to the fountain water

But by this time, the city of Brussels was making moves to distribute drinking water inside people's homes

so fountains pretty much just became decorative. In addition to its many makeovers, the statues become victim to a number of thefts

In 1965, someone broke the statue off so only the feet and ankles remained

A year later, the Antwerp magazine De Post received an anonymous phone call that the statue was at the bottom of the Charleroi C

The magazine sent a team of divers in to find it, and when Mennequin Peace returned to Belgium

it was placed on display in the Brussels City Museum for some much-needed R&R

The statue currently on display in the niche is an identical copy. I guess it really does take a village to raise a child

Today, that village has a name, the non-profit Friends of Mennequin Peace

The organization manages the thousands of mannequin piece costumes there are, and oh my god, you guys, the costumes

If you're interested, the official Mannequin Peace website has a template for proposing

a new costume for the statue, but it has to be approved by the city of Brussels and Friends

of Mannequin Peace so it better be good On certain festivals like that of St Verheyen the statue was dressed in the appropriate costume and has I believe been hooked up to a keg of beer

Would I drink this? I don't know. I legitimately don't know. Like, it would be cool

But, like, it's beer coming from a statue. But also, if you're at that point

where you would consider drinking beer from a statue, you're pretty far gone and, like, the alcohol's gonna be fine

You'll be fine. So the next time you're in Brussels, stop by the Mannequin Peace. It's a short walk away from Le Grand Place, which is Brussels' main square, and is really cute

Imagine you're back in a time where fountains were the main source of your drinking water

and appreciate modern plumbing today. If you want to see a costume change, you can find the official monthly schedule on the Mannequin Peace website

I visited the fountain in Brussels as a kid with my family, and the little statuette we brought back has been a family game night trophy ever since

and now that I know everything it's been through, it certainly deserves that honored status

Thank you so much for watching! If you're interested in learning more about how Brussels

operates as a trilingual city, we have just the video for you on our YouTube channel

which we'll link to up here. And check out brighttrip.com to discover courses that help

you travel smarter. Think your kids might get a giggle out of the statue? Brighttrip has a whole

course on traveling with kids, and I would highly recommend it for all the practical tips and just

the sheer cuteness of it all. I'll see you next time