The Manneken Pis or “Little Man Peeing” is probably one of the more popular statues in Brussels, both for its humor and the various legends that circulate about its origin. Cast from bronze, this small statue depicts a naked boy urinating into the basin of the fountain. The statue is the work of Hieronimus Duquesnoy, a Brussels sculptor, who completed the work in 1619. Through time, the statue has been stolen, so the one you see here is a copy that was cast in 1965. The original is housed in the Maison du Roi. There are quite a few legends at the origins of the original design. One story says it commemorates a young boy who urinated on a burning fuse that kept an explosive charge from detonating and destroying the city’s fortification walls. Another story tells of a rich merchant whose son disappeared. After an extensive search of the city, the lost boy was found happily urinating in a garden. The statue was a token of appreciation from the boy’s father to the townspeople for their willingness to help find his son. Another story tells of a young boy who woke to a fire. He urinated on the fire, which put it out and spared the king’s castle from burning down. Today, visitors enjoy seeing the rotating costumes that adorn the little man. There are over 500 costumes in all, and his outfit is changed a few times a week.

The Regional Parliament Building, also known as the Brussels Parliament building, is interesting from an architectural perspective. The majority of the building dates back to the early 20th century, but some wings date back to the 17th century. The building boasts a neoclassical architectural style, with a very modern hemicycle on the top floor of the building. A hemicycle is the term for a horse-shoe shaped debating chamber. Historically, the site of the Regional Parliament Building was where the Maes family mansion was located. It was destroyed in 1695 during the Brussels bombardment. What remained of the mansion was bought by Count Charles van den Berghe. He constructed a new mansion on the site with an enclosed courtyard and garden. The mansion was acquired by the government in 1823 to house the Brabant government and to also serve as the home of the governor. Eventually the mansion fell into disrepair and needed renovations and modifications. In 1995 Brussels split off from Brabant and created its own regional government. The Federal government gave the building to the Brussels to serve as their parliament building. However, the building was unsuitable for that use so subsequent renovations were made. In additions to these recent renovations, the local government commissioned eleven artists to create works for different areas of the building.

Located on the Grand Place, the Town Hall is lovely example of Gothic architecture. Gothic architecture typically has a vertical emphasis and often features pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses as the key features. The oldest part of the Town Hall is the east wing, and was constructed over an 18-year (1402 to 1420) period under the guidance of Jacob van Thienen. Subsequent wings were added in 1444 and 1452. The dominant feature of the building is the 310-foot (96-meter) tall tower feature, the spire of which is topped by the archangel Saint Michael. Upon careful inspection, you may notice the tower, the front archway, and the façade of the main building are off-center relative to one another. Legend has it that when the architect discovered the error he was so distraught that he climbed the tower and leapt to his death. The building façade includes many statues of nobles, saints and allegorical figures. The sculptures you see today are actually reproductions. The older ones are now housed in the city museum. The Town Hall was completely gutted by fire as the result of a 1695 bombardment of Brussels by the French. The fire destroyed the archives and art collection. The halls have since been refilled with tapestries, paintings and sculptures depicting key local and regional historical figures.

The Maison du Roi, or King’s House, is designed in a neo-gothic style incorporating many decorative statues. The Dutch name for the building is “Broodhuis”, which translates to “bread house”. This gives a clue to the early origins of the building. In the beginning of the 13th century a wooden structure stood on this location and was used by bakers to sell their products. In the early 1400s a stone structure was constructed to replace the original wooden building. In the 1500s bakers favored selling their bread door-to-door and the need for a bread selling house slowly diminished. Instead of letting the building sit empty, it began to be used as a government administrative building. Over the next couple of hundred years the building declined to the point that it had to be rebuilt. In 1860 the city purchased the building and initiated a complete tear down/restoration. The neo-gothic architecture of the King’s House was inspired by the Oudenaard City town hall. Today the building houses the City Museum of Brussels. The museum portrays the history of the City and features pieces of Brussels’ heritage including original statues of the town hall, wall tapestries, earthenware, silverware, paintings and other artifacts that speak volumes about the past of the Belgian capital.

The Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert are an excellent example of a covered shopping gallery that date back to 19th century. Seven of these shopping galleries were built in Brussels in between the 1820s and 1830s. The St. Hubert Gallery is one of three that still survive today. The architect for the gallery was Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar and it officially opened in 1847. The two primary sections of the gallery are called the King’s Gallery and the Queen’s Gallery. They measure 8 meters (26 feet) wide and 213 meters (699 feet) long A smaller section was dubbed the Prince’s Gallery. The concept of a gallery, such as St. Hubert, dates back to Paris in the 1780s. King Louis XIV, who was having financial problem, rented portions of his garden to shopkeepers. They constructed little shops to sell their wares. These little shops attracted many people and they became a defacto meeting place. Later, this concept of a shopping/gathering place evolved to the covered galleries, which were intended for richer classes. Today the St. Hubert Gallery has luxurious boutiques and shops as well as cafes and restaurants that offer dining in the gallery corridors. One particular stand out is the Neuhaus confectioners shop, which opened in 1857.

The Congress Column (Colonne du Congrès, Congreskolom) is a monument situated on the Place du Congrès / Congresplein in Brussels. It commemorates the formation of the Belgian state and constitution by the National Congress in 1830-1831. It was erected on the initiative of Charles Rogier after a design by Joseph Poelaert between 1850 and 1859. It was inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome. The column, with the statue of king Leopold I of the Belgians surmounting it included, has a total height of 47 meters. A spiral staircase of 193 stairs in the interior of the column leads to a platform surrounding the pedestal of the statue of King Leopold I. As a memorial to the Belgian victims of the First World War, five anonymous soldiers were buried at the foot of the monument, the 11th of November 1922. Their tomb is surmounted by an eternal flame.

The Maison Saint-Cyr is a delightful narrow building on Ambiorix Square. It provides an interesting contrast to the larger structures that surround the square. Some describe it as a “hummingbird among the pigeons”. The building was designed by Belgian architect Gustave Strauven, who favored the Art Nouveau architectural style. Strauven, who was only 22 years old when he designed this building, studied under Victor Horta. Horta was a commanding figure in Belgian’s architectural history and was partial to the Art Nouveau style. This home was built over a two-year period and completed in 1903. It was built to serve as the private residence of the painter Georges de Saint-Cyr. Measuring just 4 meters (13 feet across), the façade is a wonderful mix of glass, wood and wrought iron. The main entrance and the three French doors on the façade are artistically decorated with light blue wooden strips. These are large enough to allow in light and air, but still afford privacy. The round window at the top that has a decorative or blooming appearance and is very characteristic component of the Art Nouveau style. The extravagant wrought iron that borders the front yard and first floor also show a strong Art Nouveau influence.

The Residence Palace is composed of three buildings and a press center. The buildings were constructed in the 1920s and feature a mix of Art Deco and Postmodern architectural styles. The major architects that had a hand in the design over time include Michale Polak, Philippe Samyn, and Buro Happold. The buildings were first envisions as a luxurious apartment block that would serve the Brussels bourgeoisie. In the 1940s, the residents were forced to vacate the building as it because the headquarters of the occupying German forces during World War II. Following liberation, the building was used by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and the Second Tactical Air Force and then became administrative office for the Belgian government. Today, the complex has different uses. The Belgian government continues to use portions of the building. New apartments are under construction in the courtyard area and the pre-war swimming pool, restaurant and theater have been maintained. Ongoing renovations have occurred over the years and in 2004 an international design competition was held to remodel the Bloc-A building to house the Council of the European Union and the European Council. The renovation is nearing completion, but has faced delays.

The Triumphal Arch serves as the dramatic centerpiece of the Parc du Cinquantenaire. The arch was commissioned by King Leopold II in 1880 to commemorate Belgium’s independence for a national exhibition. It would also serve as a new entrance gate to the area. The funding and the construction of the arch ended up being controversial because the King wanted to spend excessive amounts of money to make something very extravagant, where as the government was not committed to spending a lot of money. It ended up taking 25 years to resolve the funding and to construct the arch, with the King and other private donors footing the bill. The arch was completed in 1905, in time for the 75th anniversary of Belgium independence. The top of the arch features a statue of a chariot pulled by four horses. This statue represented the Brabant province. Other provinces are depicted by statues at the foot of the columns. Each side of the arch features “galleries of the columns” which include mosaics that depict Belgium as a peace-loving nation. On each side of the arch are exposition halls that were built as a permanent replacement to the pavilions of the 1880 exposition.