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This small museum houses the wardrobe of Manneken Pis, Brussels' most famous statue. Because Manneken Pis has nearly 1000 different costumes, of which some historic specimens are sensitive to decay resulting from variations in temperature and humidity, only about 100 costumes are shown to visitors at a time. The collection on display rotates regularly. The costumes in storage can be viewed through an interactive database.
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A short walk from the Grand-Place/Grote Markt is the Manneken Pis, a small bronze statue thought to represent the "irreverent spirit" of Brussels. This is a statue of a child urinating into a pool. Belgians have created hundreds of outfits for this statue. There are many stories of the statue's origins. It is believed to have been inspired by a child who, while in a tree, found a special way to drive away invading troops. Another story goes that a father was missing his child and made a declaration to the city that when he found him he would build a statue of him, doing whatever it was that he was doing. It has also been said a witch turned him to stone for peeing on her property. Yet another story goes that Brussels was under siege and enemies had planted explosives in the city; a boy saw the lit fuse and urinated on it, preventing the explosives from blowing up thus saving the city. The most likely scenario is that it was the location of the market for urine, which was used for its ammonia content to tan leathers. None are definitively true. In 1747, Louis XV's soldiers stole the statue, upsetting many of the city's residents. Louis XV made it up to the city by giving the statue a medal of honor (so that he must be saluted when French soldiers pass by) and by giving him an outfit. He now gets dressed up on special occasions. Although a famous icon of Brussels and a source of inspiration for countless souvenirs, Manneken Pis is an overhyped attraction that frequently tops polls ranking the world's biggest tourist traps, and definitely not worth a major detour to take a look at.
Escape The City: The Secret of Manneken Pis is an outdoor treasure hunt that invites players to explore the history of the inner city, and guides them along numerous iconic locations within the old city walls. Players cross the city in a small team, solve enigmas, and unravel the mysteries of a strange backpack they've been given. Making a reservation in advance is necessary, and it is advised to reserve well in advance. Keep in mind that the weather in Brussels is unpredictable, so late spring and summer are the best seasons to bet on. The treasure hunt takes between 90 and 120 minutes, and is suitable for children from 10 years old.
Escape rooms with 2 adventures, lasting up to 60 minutes each: The Dalton's Escape in the Lucky Luke setting, and Blacksad: Private Detective with a traditional detective/mystery theme.
A 36m² mural of Tintin, one of Belgium's most famous comic book heroes, and his sidekick Captain Haddock escaping the building on an emergency ladder. The mural was painted by Georgios Oreopoulos and David Vandegeerde in 2005, and is one of over 50 comic book themed murals in Brussels. The project started in 1993, when deputy Michel Van Roye banned ugly advertising panels within the inner city, and the Comic Book Museum (Stripmuseum) suggested to fill the liberated areas on building walls with large murals after the example of Angouleme where a similar comic book wall existed, a work of Erro from 1985. The collection of murals is still expanded very year, and travelers will encounter many in the inner city.
Musée Mode & Dentelle/Mode & Kant Museum
Lace was one of the fine trades that gave Brussels as a city its fame during the 19th century. From 1977 onwards, the city council decided to dedicate a museum to lace textile and costumes to emphasize its importance to the city's history. During the museum's 40-year history, the collection has continuously expanded. It covers the entire reange of civil fashion in Western Eurpe from the 18th century up to the present. On display are items gifted to the museum by lace enthusiasts, and specialty items acquired by the museum. There are strict norms regarding temperature, light and humidity in the museum to optimize the conservation of the collection. Because of these constraints to conservation, not the entire collection is on display at any time, but alternating fractions are presented to the public in the context of changing yearly expositions. The museum has a strong emphasis on contemporary fashion, including the acquisition of Belgian and Brussels items.
Smaller escape games near the Brussels city center, with 2 aventures of 60 minutes each: The Maffia Room: players sneak into the office of a mafia gang's boss, and need to find clues to dismantle his network before the time runs out. Suitable for 2-3 players, max. 4; and Apocalypse: players find themselves in a post apocalyptic scenario after the outbreak of a deadly virus, and must work together to escape. Suitable for larger teams up to 6 players.