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This statue was created by Belgian sculptor Lao Zherom Duquesnoy in 1619. The bronze statue is 61 cm high. Due to the stolen multiple times, the original is now kept in the City Museum, a 1965 replica.
There are many versions of the legend about "Peeing a Boy", the most famous of which is Little Yulian Fire-Extinguishing and Saving the City Version: Legend has it that Brussels was besieged by invaders in the 14th century. The enemy could not capture it for a long time and was about to explode the city wall with gunpowder. Just when the enemy ignited the fuse, a little boy named Yulian wisely ran over and urinated, extinguishing the fuse, and winning time for the soldiers guarding the city. The peeing boy here is a little hero. It is no exaggeration to say that Brussels was saved by his urine.
The oldest version is Leuven Earl Godfrey III: Godfrey III (1140-1190) died when he was two years old. He inherited the title. The enemy took the opportunity to fight to try to seize the territory of the young master. The soldiers questioned the officers under the little Count when they led their troops to kill the enemy. They doubted whether there was really a little Count and wanted to see who they were fighting for. So the officer put Godfrey III in the cradle and hung it on the tree on the front line. The soldiers saw a living Count who could pee and fought bravely and repelled the enemy. The peeing boy here is a little earl. He used a piss to prove that he appeared on the battlefield alive.
The most fantasy thing is the witch punishing the child who pissed randomly: Legend has it that a child is ignorant and often runs to the door of others to pee. One day, he urinates the witch at the house of a witch, and the witch punishes him for peeing forever. It was not until a kind-hearted person made a statue of a peeing child that he rescued the naughty child. The peeing boy here is a naughty guy. He kept peeing because he was punished.
The most loving one is the businessman’s son’s gratitude version: Legend has it that a rich businessman’s family came to Brussels for a trip. His favorite son was lost, which made the businessman very anxious. He quickly mobilized everyone to search, and finally everyone found his son in a street garden, where the child was peeing. To thank everyone for their help, the merchant invested in the production of the statue and donated it to the city garden. The peeing boy here is a rich second generation, and the statue is his father's gift to thank the city.
In fact, maybe neither version is right. "Peeing a Child" is just an ordinary city sculpture and has no special meaning. Since the 17th century, people have had the custom of dressing "peech children". Now they have to change their clothes a few times a week. For this reason, a non-profit organization has been specially established: Friends of Peech Children. Some of the more exquisite costumes are now preserved in the City Museum, and the exhibition area is called the "Peeing Children's Wardrobe".
On the way to "Peeing Boy", I saw a cartoon on a wall. Isn’t this “Ding Ding”? I liked watching it when I was a child. "Hergé, 1907-1983" is a famous work by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé (1907-1983). Herger was originally named Georges Remi (Georges Remi), and is known as the father of modern European comics. The Ding Ding he created is considered one of the most well-known comics in the world.
actually has more than just "Ding Ding", this city is full of comic walls and sculptures made in cartoon images. Belgium is a European comic kingdom. The popular TV "Smurfs" I was a child was also written by a Belgian cartoonist. It was adapted from the comic of the same name created by Peyo (formerly known as Pierre Culliford, 1928-1992) in 1958. It can be said that cartoon is the second treasure in Brussels. There is even a comic art center in the city of . painting fans can spend a whole day "roaming" in Brussels.
There is a Smurf statue next to our hotel.
I don’t know this image, like a cat who loves cycling.
Finally, let’s talk about the third treasure in Brussels, which is also something that almost all tourists will buy: chocolate. Belgium’s chocolate is famous all over the world. The cities I have been to before are all over the streets of chocolate shops. Some shops also sell chocolate ice cream, and Hot has become the main drink. But Brussels is the real center of this chocolate kingdom. In Brussels, the most concentrated place for chocolate shops is the Saint-Euber Gallery on the east side of the Grand Plaza.
This shopping corridor was designed by Belgian architect Jean Pierre Cruisenaar. He is famous in Belgium and has created more than 200 architectural works in his life. He designed many public buildings and private mansions in Belgium. The entire corridor was completed in 1847. The then King Leopold I took his family to cut the ribbon himself, so the two 100-meter corridors were named the King's corridor and the Queen's corridor respectively, and there was also a small side corridor next to it, which was named the Prince's corridor. The Emmanuel II Gallery, which we saw in Milan , is known as the oldest shopping gallery in Italy. It was completed 30 years later than this gallery in Brussels.
The entire building is full of neoclassical characteristics. The interior and exterior of the facades at both ends of the corridor and the windows on the second floor of the building are decorated with exquisite ancient Greek mythological figures.
Say back to chocolate, the oldest chocolate brand in Belgium is Neuhaus. In 1857, the pharmacist Jean Neuhaus from Switzerland opened a pharmacy in the San Juber Promenade, which mainly sells the licorice tablets and other medicines he made. Because customers often complain that oral medication is too bitter, he tried to wrap the pills in a layer of chocolate. Maybe the chocolate he made was so delicious that gradually the pharmacy became a chocolate shop. Today, this Belgian earliest chocolate shop is still open on its original site.
We saw a Newhouse history gift box in the store, which string together the company's legendary journey with chocolates developed by different eras. In 1912, Jean Neuhaus Jr. (1877-1953), the grandson of the founder Jean Neuhaus, pioneered the praline, and his bust was placed in the window. In 1915, he and his wife designed a cardboard packaging box, which became the earliest chocolate gift box in Belgium. Today, this historic chocolate brand has become the royal product of the Belgian royal family.
As the number one luxury brand of Belgian chocolate, Neuhaus is indeed expensive. A gift box worth 15 euros for 8 yuan, and the largest gift box has two layers, totaling 76 yuan, 1300 grams, costs 110 euros.
Another royal brand is Mary, founded by Mary Delluc in 1919. Her first store was opened near the palace, often attracting royal members and high-ranking officials and nobles who came to visit to buy it. Mary has a customer record book. She carefully records each customer's preferences and opinions, and constantly improves her chocolate craftsmanship and taste, so the products she developed are quite popular among princes and nobles. From 1942 to the present, four consecutive kings have awarded the honors of the Royal Royal Brand.
There is also a Belgian royal brand called Godiva, which is more familiar to the Chinese. It was founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps and was named after a kind countess in the British legend. However, this company was acquired by a US company in 1972, and most of its products were replaced by a US company. In 2007, it was acquired by an Turkish company. It is no longer like a Belgian brand, so I didn't pay much attention to this company when I went to Belgium.
introduces another luxury brand that has a history that is not that long but has been popular in recent years: Pierre Marcolini. The brand was founded in the same year by Pierre Marcolini (1964-), who won the world pastry championship in 1995, and its first store was also opened in Brussels.He insists on purely handmade production and releases new products every year like luxury brand clothing. Although his chocolates are not good-looking and have similar shapes, Macrini is a seasoning master. He mixes various fruits, spices, tea, etc. into the chocolate. The different flavors marked on the same shape of chocolate are the characteristics of his family. The taste is amazing and the price is also high. This box of 33 small pieces costs 35 euros.
In the San Yubel Gallery, we also see many beautifully crafted but relatively affordable brands, such as Corné Port-Royal, founded by Maurice Corné in 1932, and features chocolate mixed with nougat and walnuts. The box of 16 yuan (235 grams) in the window is priced at 18 euros.
This is a Délices du Roy brand, 35 yuan a large box (475 grams) 27 euros, and the small box also has a promotion of 4 free 1 free.
Another relatively good and relatively cheap brand is Léonidas, founded by Greek American Leonidas in 1913. He won a bronze medal in the chocolate he made when he participated in the Expo in Brussels in 1910, and later married a Brussels girl and settled there. The brand LOGO is based on a statue of a Guspartan king named Leonidas in the Greek Spartan Museum to show that the founder is from Greece. The bag of chocolate (300-340 grams) placed in the window is only sold for 10 euros.
Actually, if you eat it yourself, I suggest going to the supermarket to buy the Belgian national brand Côte d'Or. The name means the French Gold Coast, and it is also the most important place of origin of cocoa beans in Africa. The elephant is the symbol there, so it is a logo. It was founded in 1883 by Charles Neuhaus, and I don't know what it has to do with Jean Newhaus. After I understand many brands, I feel that it has the highest cost-effectiveness. Usually, a large plate of 100 grams is only sold for more than 1 euro, and the taste is quite pure. When we were shopping at a supermarket next to the hotel, a local pointed it and gave us a thumbs up and highly recommended it. After returning to China, I also saw the same chocolate of this brand in domestic supermarkets, and the price is basically 4 times that of Brussels.
Previous highlights:
Exploration of the ancient city of Bruges: Love bridge at first sight and chocolate
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