Het Zinneke (Brusselian dialect for "the mutt"), sometimes called Zinneke Pis by analogy with Manneken Pis , is a bronze sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, erected in 1999. [1] [2] Created by Tom Frantzen, it represents a dog urinating against a bollard, along the same lines as Manneken Pis (a boy) and its derivative Jeanneke Pis (a girl). [3] [4] It is an example of folk humour ( zwanze ) popular in Brussels. [1] [5]
Het Zinneke is located at the junction of the Rue des Chartreux/Kartuizersstraat and the Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Grains/Oude Graanmarkt in the City of Brussels, not far from the Halles Saint-Géry/Sint-Gorikshallen, a former covered market, and one of the capital's trendiest districts. [6]
Zinneke is a nickname chosen to represent a person from Brussels who was not born there (the opposite of ketje for a native local). [1] The word means "mutt" or "bastard" in Brusselian dialect, and originally referred to the city's stray dogs that hung around the streets by the Lesser Senne (a tangent canal of the river Senne, which circumnavigated Brussels along the city walls) until the end of the 19th century (see covering of the Senne). [1] [7]
The sculpture was created in 1999 by the artist Tom Frantzen, also known for other public statues in Brussels, such as the Vaartkapoen (1985) on the Place Sainctelette/Sainctelettesquare in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, [1] [8] Madame Chapeau (2000) on the Rue du Midi/Zuidstraat, [1] [9] and L'Envol (2017) on the Place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés/Oud Korenhuisplein. [10] [11] It is a nod to the landmark sculpture Manneken Pis , in place since 1619, and its female counterpart Jeanneke Pis , installed in 1987. Unlike them, however, it is not associated with a fountain.
Het Zinneke was reported as stolen in the night of 11 March 2007, [12] but a quick investigation revealed that it had been taken away for repairs by local residents who own the statue after vandals had tried to rip it out with force. Frantzen repaired the slightly damaged statue, which was reinstalled in its original place. [13]
On 1 August 2015, Het Zinneke was struck by a car, and its two legs were broken. During its restoration by the sculptor, an explanatory note was attached on site. On 24 September 2015, the sculpture was placed back in its usual place. [14] [15] [16]
Manneken Pis is a landmark 55.5 cm (21.9 in) bronze fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, depicting a puer mingens; a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Though its existence is attested as early as the mid-15th century, Manneken Pis was redesigned by the Brabantine sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1619. Its stone niche in rocaille style dates from 1770. The statue has been repeatedly stolen or damaged throughout its history. Since 1965, a replica has been displayed, with the original stored in the Brussels City Museum.
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean or Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated by the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, as well as by the municipalities of Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Dilbeek, Jette, and Koekelberg. The Molenbeek brook, from which it takes its name, flows through the municipality. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).
The Senne or Zenne is a small river that flows through Brussels, Belgium. Its source is in the village of Naast near the municipality of Soignies. It is an indirect tributary of the Scheldt, through the Dyle and the Rupel. It joins the Dyle at Zennegat in Battel, north of the municipality of Mechelen, only a few hundred metres before the Dyle itself joins the Rupel.
The City of Brussels is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the Flemish Region and Belgium. The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of the European Union, as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions in its European Quarter.
Jeanneke Pis is a modern fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium. It was commissioned by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 as a counterpoint to the city's famous Manneken Pis. The 50-centimetre (20 in) bronze statue depicts a naked little girl with short pigtails, squatting and urinating on a blue-grey limestone base.
The Place des Martyrs is a historic square in central Brussels, Belgium. Its current name, meaning "Martyrs' Square", refers to the martyrs of the September Days of the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
The Zinneke Parade is a biennial parade held in the City of Brussels, Belgium, since 2000. It is a cultural event organised by the Zinneke Association that brings together at each edition about 2,500 participants and attracts between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators. A different theme is chosen for each parade.
Fonderie Nationale des Bronzes was a 19th– and 20th–century artistic studio and foundry in Brussels, Belgium, that specialized in bronze sculptures. It became known for casting the works of Auguste Rodin, Rembrandt Bugatti, Paul Delvaux, and many others.
The Sablon or Zavel is a neighbourhood and hill in the historic upper town of Brussels, Belgium. At its heart are twin squares: the larger Grand Sablon or Grote Zavel square in the north-west and the smaller Petit Sablon or Kleine Zavel square and garden in the south-east, divided by the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon and the Rue de la Régence/Regentschapstraat. This area is served by Brussels-Chapel railway station and Brussels-Central railway station, as well as the tram stop Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavel.
Tom Frantzen, is a Belgian sculptor, known for his street images.
L'Envol is a bronze statue of Belgian singer Jacques Brel, sculpted by Tom Frantzen. It was inaugurated on the Place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés/Oud Korenhuisplein in Brussels, Belgium, on 11 October 2017.
The Place de Brouckère or De Brouckèreplein (Dutch) is a major square in central Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), replacing the Temple of the Augustinians, which was demolished in 1893. It is named in honour of Charles de Brouckère, a former mayor of the City of Brussels and professor at the Free University of Brussels, who played a great political role during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. The square measures approximately 50 by 350 metres and is nearly entirely paved.
The Place de la Bourse (French) or Beursplein (Dutch), meaning "Stock Exchange Square", is a major square in central Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871). The former Brussels Stock Exchange building, of which it takes its name, is located on this square. It is served by the premetro station Bourse/Beurs on lines 3 and 4.
The Meyboom or Meiboom plantation is the oldest tradition in Brussels, Belgium, attested since 1308. It is held every year on 9 August, the eve of St Lawrence's Day, and consists mainly in the planting of a beech at the intersection of the Rue des Sables/Zandstraat and the Rue du Marais/Broekstraat in the City of Brussels' Marais–Jacqmain district.
The Church of St. John the Baptist is a Catholic parish church located in the centre of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of Molenbeek.
The Central Boulevards are a series of grand boulevards in central Brussels, Belgium. They were constructed following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), as part of the major urban works by the architect Léon Suys under the tenure of the city's then-mayor, Jules Anspach. They are from south to north and from west to east: the Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier/Maurice Lemonnierlaan, the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan, the Boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan, and the Boulevard Émile Jacqmain/Émile Jacqmainlaan. The latter two branch off from the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein. Other major squares on the Central Boulevards are the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, the Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein and the Place Anneessens/Anneessensplein.
Saint Catherine's Church is a Catholic parish church in Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Catherine.
The Bronze Zinneke is an award handed out by the cabinet of the Brussels Region to individuals, personalities, organisations, or companies that perform a role as informal ambassador of the Brussels Region or otherwise add to the positive image of the City and Region of Brussels.
The Boulevard Émile Jacqmain (French) or Émile Jacqmainlaan (Dutch) is a central boulevard in Brussels, Belgium. It was created following the covering of the river Senne (1867–1871), and bears the name of Émile Jacqmain, a former Alderman for Public Education.