Zinneke Pis – Brussels, Belgium - Atlas Obscura

Zinneke Pis

Meet the bronze beloved pet to a family of famous peeing statues. 

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Brussels’ Manneken Pis statue is one of the most famous sculptural images icons in the entire world. Recreations of the famed pissing baby can be found in gardens and fountains all over the world. The appeal of a naked little boy draining the snake can not be underestimated apparently.

Lesser known, however, is that the Manneken Pis not only has a female counterpart, Jeanneke Pis, but also a dog known as Zinneke Pis, who is forever lifting his leg onto a Brussels street pole. Zinneke Pis was installed on the corner of Rue des Chartreux and Rue du Vieux Marché aux grains in 1998, centuries after his symbolic master was installed in the city in 1619. Like the little boy and the little girl, the pup was created life-size, but unlike its masters, the Zinneke Pis is not actually a pissing fountain, it is simply a bronze statue. Nonetheless, the metal canine is just as cute, looking a little guilty as he lets loose on the street corner.

The bronze buddy is not as well known as his masters, but if people could catch on to his adorable little face, it is no doubt that gardens around the world would be covered in peeing dog statues in no time. 

The creator of the dog also lives in the neighborhood, and he modeled it after his own pet, which can still be seen occasionally wandering the area. It is not known how often the real dog pisses in the street, but it can be well assumed that it is not as often as the eternally micturating Zinneke Pis. Also, it’s a boy.   

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