Manneken Pis, Bronze statue in Westmeerbeek, Belgium.
Manneken Pis is a small statue of a urinating boy on a triangular square where Haverdries meets Hoogzand in Westmeerbeek, part of Hulshout. The figure stands on a tall pillar of rough red and pink bricks with pale mortar, topped by a flat grey stone slab. A glass plaque on the pillar is etched with Dutch text including "Klein Brussel" and "Manneken Pis van Westmeerbeek".
A copy of Brussels' Manneken Pis was placed here in the 1930s to honour Westmeerbeek's nickname Klein Brussel. The original white artificial-concrete figure, a nod to the village's artificial-concrete industry, was later vandalised or stolen. A new statue was inaugurated on 1 May 2008; after vandalism in October 2015, a black replacement followed in May 2016.
Westmeerbeek is nicknamed Klein Brussel, and the village placed a copy of Brussels' Manneken Pis in the 1930s to honour that nickname. The original white figure was made of kunstbeton, artificial concrete, a nod to the local artificial-concrete industry. The current black statue, installed in May 2016, replaced one destroyed by vandals in October 2015.
The statue stands on the triangular square where Haverdries meets Hoogzand, on a brick pillar with an etched glass plaque. It is a small roadside spot with no visitor facilities; the plaque is the main thing to read on site.
The statue is not bronze but artificial concrete, originally white to represent Westmeerbeek's artificial-concrete industry. Vandals destroyed or stole earlier versions; the figure installed in May 2016 was black instead of white. A glass plaque on the brick pillar names the village's nickname, Klein Brussel.
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