I've been talking a lot with a Belgian friend lately.

Yesterday, I heard a story about the Manneken Pis in Brussels.

When it comes to the Manneken Pis, it's known as one of the world's three most disappointing landmarks.

the world's three most disappointing landmarks are...

Merlion in Singapore

the Little Mermaid in Denmark.

and

the Manneken Pis.

But why is the Manneken Pis in Brussels called one of the world's three most disappointing landmarks...?

That's because...

First, It's smaller than expected,

measuring just 55 cm in height.

Second, You can see the urine hose.

Third, It's farther away than expected, making it difficult to take a picture together.

For these reasons, it is known as one of the world's three most disappointing landmarks. However, when I look into it...

Interesting!!

That's why I want to share this!!

And I want to dispel the image of it being one of the world's three most disappointing landmarks!!

That's why I'll explain it clearly and concisely.

His name is Julien. He is the prince of the Duke of Brabant.

One day, an anti-government force planted a bomb in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.

People are in a state of panic, fleeing in all directions.

While people were fleeing in panic, only Julien approached the bomb.

He extinguished the fuse with his urine!!

He saved the city of Brussels.

In honor of his bravery and achievement, the Manneken Pis statue was erected.

This is the story of the Manneken Pis.

・The Manneken Pis has actually been stolen twice！？

During the first theft,

the perpetrator was publicly exposed, branded, and subjected to hard labor as a severe punishment.

The citizens' anger must have been immense.

This shows just how much Julien was loved.

During the second theft,

the Manneken Pis was found split in two in a canal within the city.

Since then, the original statue has been installed in the Brussels City Museum. Therefore, the Manneken Pis currently on display is actually a replica!!

・Actually, it has the most costumes in the world.

The Manneken Pis changes into various outfits on special occasions.

These costumes have been sent from around the world, and the tradition has continued since the 17th century, with over 1,000 costumes gifted from different countries.

You can see many of these costumes at the Brussels City Museum.

Among them is even a suit of armor from my homeland, Japan.

But I don't want him to wear a condom.

Don't make a child wear some condoms.

Condoms are not clothing!!

・Sometimes, beer flows instead of water.

Usually, water is flowing, but during beer company events, beer is released instead, and it’s served to passersby.

Tourists who happen to visit at that time are fortunate!

Or not so lucky!?

It’s really foamy, and the color is yellow.

It looks so much like real urine that it's quite unsettling...

You might need some courage to drink it.

・There’s also a peeing dog statue.

It's called Het Zinneke.

Since it's not a tourist spot, there aren’t many people around, making it easy to take photos.

However, the original peeing dog was destroyed in a traffic accident in 2015, so the current one is actually the second generation.

・There is also a peeing girl statue!?

It's called Jeanneke Pis

A fence has been installed around it.

The reason is that the statue is within reach from the street, and passersby frequently touch the statue's private parts, causing the paint to wear off and that area to deteriorate faster than the rest of the statue.

As a result, a fence was put up, and it's no longer possible to touch it.

What a hell reason!!

The reason for the fence is just too gross...

Isn’t it supposed to be for theft prevention or something like that!!?

・Manneken Pis in Finland is too scary...

There are Manneken Pis all over the world now, but the one in Finland is too scary...