# Manneken-Pis

> The small bronze fountain figure that has become the symbol of Brussels, a few minutes' walk from the Grand-Place.

- Canonical URL: https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/manneken-pis
- Category: Sightseeing
- Address: Rue de l'Étuve 31, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Coordinates: 50.845000, 4.350000

## Why we recommend it

Everyone warns you he is smaller than expected, and he is. Go anyway, then check the calendar on the railings: half the fun is finding out what he has been dressed as that week.

## About

The figure is small, and that is the first thing anyone says about him. He
stands about sixty centimetres, on a corner two streets from the Grand-Place,
usually behind a crowd of phones held at arm's length.

The bronze on the corner is a replica. The 1619 original by Jérôme Duquesnoy
the Elder was moved to the Maison du Roi on the Grand-Place after one theft too
many, and the current copy dates from 1965.

What makes him worth the detour is the wardrobe. He owns several hundred
costumes, donated over the centuries by visiting delegations, guilds, sports
clubs and cities, and he is dressed several times a month according to a public
calendar posted on the railings. Much of the collection is kept on display in
a dedicated wardrobe museum nearby.

If you are following the crowds, you will also meet Jeanneke-Pis in an alley
off Rue des Bouchers, and Zinneke-Pis, a dog, on Rue des Chartreux. Neither is
old. Both are jokes that stuck.

## Distances

Straight-line distances computed from coordinates. Walking times are estimates, not measured routes.

| From | Straight line | On foot |
|---|---|---|
| Grand-Place | 260 m | approx. 5 min |
| Manneken-Pis | 0 m | approx. 1 min |
| Our apartment | 270 m | approx. 5 min |
| Brussels Central | 480 m | approx. 9 min |
| Place du Grand Sablon | 580 m | approx. 11 min |

## Links

- [Manneken-Pis on visit.brussels](https://visit.brussels/en/place/Manneken-Pis)

## Map

- [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=50.845000&mlon=4.350000#map=18/50.845000/4.350000)
- [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=50.845000,4.350000)
- [Walking directions from the Grand-Place](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&origin=50.846700,4.352500&destination=50.845000,4.350000&travelmode=walking)

## Nearby

- [Mont des Arts](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/mont-des-arts) — A formal garden and free viewpoint over central Brussels, at the top of Place de l'Albertine, straight up the road from the apartment.
- [Grand-Place](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/grand-place) — The UNESCO-listed market square at the centre of Brussels, three minutes on foot from the apartment.
- [Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/shopping/galeries-saint-hubert) — A glazed shopping arcade of 1847, among the oldest in Europe, a short walk from the apartment and dry in any weather.

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Source: [Manneken-Pis](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/places/sightseeing/manneken-pis) on [Brussels Grand Place](https://www.brusselsgrandplace.com/), the Grand-Place in Brussels building by building, written by people who live 200 m from the square.
Last updated: 2026-09-15.