There is probably no more ubiquitous symbol of Brussels than the cheeky 17th century bronze statue of a naked little boy urinating into a pool of water. According to folklore, in the 14th century, when the city was under siege, a little boy named Julianske saw the attackers were trying to bring down the city walls with explosives and peed on the fuse, thus saving Brussels. This is just one of the many legends behind the statue. The original statue at this location was first installed in the 15th century, made of stone. That was later replaced by a bronze one. Subject to multiple thefts, the original statue has been moved to Maison du Roi; the one here is a 1965 replica. Many times a week, for various reasons, it’s a common tradition to dress up the statue in different sorts of costumes. The full wardrobe of hundreds of costumes can be seen at the City Museum. Sometimes the statue will be hooked up to a keg of beer and is poured for people passing by the statue. The statue also has a female counterpart called Jeanneke Pis on the eastern side of the city.

• Free to view.

• Buses 48, 95 stop Parlement Bruxellois.
• Buses 46, 86, N04, N05, N06, N08, N09, N10, N11, N12, N13, N16 stop Anneessens.
• Trams 3, 4 32 stop Anneessens.

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