PAID CONTENT FOR BRUSSELS CITY MUSEUMS


Brussels City Museums BRUSSELS, BELGIUM


Culture abounds in the Belgian capital, home to more than 150 museums. While it can often be hard to know where to start in a city of such cultural clout, the Brussels City Museums offer the perfect introduction to this diverse, dynamic capital


The multicultural Belgian capital offers visitors a wealth of cultural experiences, but for those looking to explore the city’s unique heritage — as well as its sense of humour — the Brussels City Museums offer the perfect opportunity.


THE GARDEROBE MANNEKEN PIS From the Atomium to the vast Grand Place, Brussels has no shortage of attractions, but perhaps one of the most head-turning is the Manneken Pis, a 55.5cm statue of a boy urinating into the basin of the fountain. It was probably in the 15th century that the


original Manneken Pis fountain was installed at the corner of the rue de l’Étuve and the Rue du Chêne. But as early as the 13th century, the city authorities had created public fountains in order to provide drinking water to a growing population. These urban features rapidly became popular as locations where people gathered to socialise. For the locals, they were useful landmarks in an expanding urban space.


86 In 1851, Manneken Pis became a unique


ornamental fountain. Brussels was one of the first European capitals to provide a domestic water distribution network for its inhabitants. The public fountains thus gradually lost their purpose and the majority were dismantled. But as a result of the statue’s renown, the Manneken Pis fountain escaped this fate. Many urban legends surround the fountain,


but one of the most enduring traditions is the statue’s eclectic wardrobe. From Dracula to Adolphe Sax, the irreverent fountain’s various costumes have helped establish the statue as one of the most recognisable sights in the city. Manneken Pis has donned more than 1,000 costumes to date and is dressed around 180 times a year — an official calendar of what the statue will wear each year is drawn up and displayed beside the fountain. While Manneken Pis’s outfits are today


part of the folklore of Brussels, his wardrobe forms an integral element of the city’s historical


heritage and are a testament to the sense of humour of the people of Brussels. Located just a stone’s throw from the fountain,


the GardeRobe Manneken Pis showcases almost 150 of the statue’s previous outfits. The unique museum first opened its doors in February 2017 and lets visitors can peruse Manneken Pis’s wardrobe by category: geography, folklore, charity and citizen associations, professions, personalities and characters, sports and stylists. While it’s common practice to dress some


religious statues, such as the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, Manneken Pis is the only known example in the world of a secular statue with its own wardrobe.


BRUSSELS CITY MUSEUM Commanding a section of the spectacular Grand Place, the capital’s most famous square, the Brussels City Museum is a neo-gothic masterpiece. Rebuilt in 1868, the building is called the Maison du Roi (King’s House)


IMAGES: BRUSSELS CITY MUSEUM © ANDREA ANONI; GARDEROBE MANNEKENPIS © EMILIE GOMEZ


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