Jeanneke Pis

Jeanneke Pis is a small bronze fountain statue in central Brussels. It stands in a narrow alley called Impasse de la Fidélité, just north of the Grand-Place. The statue shows a little girl, only fifty centimetres tall, squatting and urinating into a basin. It was put up in 1987 as a counterpart to the famous Manneken Pis. Iron bars now protect the sculpture from damage. The statue was the idea of Denis-Adrien Debouvrie, a local restaurant owner. He wanted to bring more visitors to the alley and to balance the city’s male statue with a female one. Debouvrie sketched the design on a café tablecloth and later said the work meant ‘gender equality’. The first ceremony included the mayor and members of the Order of the Friends of Manneken Pis. Visitors often toss coins into the basin. The money once supported HIV/AIDS research and now goes to Belgian charities such as UNICEF and cancer research. Nearby, the Delirium Café serves a wide range of beers. The alley has become a small but lively stop for tourists exploring Brussels.