|
  |
|
|
Manneken Pis and his Legend
Being Belgian, I gratefully take this opportunity to write about Manneken Pis.
Now who is this little fellow known around the world as the little pee-boy? Manneken Pis is to Brussels what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and the Statue of Liberty to New York, with one difference... Manneken Pis is small! It is a bronze statue, a decoration on top of a fountain. When tourists see the little boy it usually goes "how small he is, is this it?" It might be just "it", but thousands of people visit Manneken Pis each year. Millions of souvenir replicas are sold, Belgium was in chock in the eighties when students "stole" Manneken Pis in protest to school fees. Manneken Pis has his own wardrobe with over 500 costumes in the City Museum. Each time a Sovereign or Head of State visits Brussels, the national costume of that country is offered to Manneken Pis. But Manneken Pis is also a Rock Star, you should see hime in his "Elvis Aloha Hawai" costume. At Christmas, Manneken Pis wears his Santa costume.
Now why is Manneken Pis such a darling to the people of Brussels? Well, the legend tells he saved the town. Some time during the 14th Century, Brussels was under siege by a foreign power. Many months passed and the town held strong. The attackers then planned to place explosives by the walls of the town. A little boy happened to see the ennemy preparing the coup, waited until everybody was gone and urinated on the burning fuse. Brussels was saved!
In 1987, a business man from Brussels offered a companion to the little boy, Jeanneke Pis. I wonder what the legend of the little girl will be 500 years from now? |
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
The copyright for this content entitled "Manneken Pis and his Legend" has been specified by the contributor as:
All Rights Reserved
This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
|
 |
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
