Between local legends, artistic tributes and little-known wonders, the fountains of Brussels tell a different story of the city. We come across them without always noticing them, and yet they’re well worth a dedicated stroll. Here are 15 fountains that combine urban poetry, collective memory and visual surprises.
Manneken-Pis
It’s impossible to talk about Brussels’ fountains without starting with its most famous rascal. This 61 cm bronze statuette of a little boy urinating has been in place since 1619, although the legend dates back to the Middle Ages. Manneken-Pis embodies the spirit of Brussels: rebellious, funny and irreverent. His incredible wardrobe (over 1,000 costumes!) also makes him a living icon, regularly dressed for international events.
📍Address: Rue de l’Etuve, 1000 Brussels
Jeanneke-Pis
Less well known but just as symbolic, Jeanneke-Pis is a belated feminine answer to the famous Manneken. Created in 1987 by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie, she stands in a cul-de-sac near Rue des Bouchers, in a relieved crouching position. She symbolizes parity, provocatively and humorously. The fountain also has a charitable vocation: passers-by can throw in a coin to support cancer research.
📍Address: Imp. de la Fidélité 10-12, 1000 Brussels
Charles Buls Fountain
Nestled in the heart of the city center, this fountain celebrates Charles Buls, an enlightened former mayor who worked to safeguard Brussels’ heritage. Sitting peacefully with a book in his hand and his dog by his side, he symbolically watches over the city. The bronze frieze all around evokes his travels in Italy and Greece, which nourished his vision of urban planning. Thanks to him, jewels such as the Grand-Place and the Porte de Hal have been preserved.
📍Address: Rue du Marché aux Herbes, 1000 Brussels
Saint-Géry fountain
This monumental fountain-obelisk was built in 1767 at the Prémontrés abbey in Grimbergen, before being moved to Saint-Géry in the 19th century. Over 10 meters high, it is adorned with Louis XV rocaille, bronze lions and a gilded star crowning the top. It once stood on a square nicknamed… the Place de la Fontaine, of course! Today, it adds a touch of ancient grandeur to the festive Halles district.
📍Address: Place Saint-Géry, 1, 1000 Brussels
The Meuse & Scheldt
Installed symmetrically around the star of the city center, these two imposing fountains pay tribute to Belgium’s two great rivers. The Meuse and Scheldt are depicted in the form of mythological figures, underlining their structuring role in the country’s history. They were designed to enhance the restored façade of the town hall in the 19th century. A subtle way of anchoring Brussels between nature and symbolic power.
📍Address: Cour de l’Hôtel de Ville, Grand-Place, 1000 Brussels
Mont des Arts fountain
Nestled between the majestic vistas of the Royal Palace and the Old Town, the Mont des Arts garden is home to one of Brussels’ most emblematic fountains. Made of blue stone, this modernist work of art follows the geometric rigor of the park designed in the 1950s by landscape architect René Pechère. Recently renovated, it has been restored to its original splendour, underlining the ambition of the time: to bring together water, art and landscape in a redesigned urban setting.
📍Address: Mont des Arts, 1000 Brussels
La Fillette aux Coquilles
Elegant and discreet, this bronze girl sits atop a colonnette, holding a vase and a shell from which water once gushed. Sculpted in 1901 by Alphonse de Tombay, she bears witness to the golden age of the Parc Royal, once dotted with aquatic figures. Her former companions have disappeared, but she survives, surrounded by more severe statues. Children used to drink water from bronze frogs, whose mouths are still polished by curious hands.
📍Address: Place des Palais, 5, 1000 Brussels
The Man from Atlantis
Installed in the center of Avenue de la Toison d’Or in 2003, this fountain-sculpture by Luk Van Soom depicts an enigmatic figure inspired by the mythical Atlantis. With its beak, ridges and unusual proportions, the work has not failed to arouse controversy. Some local residents and passers-by have questioned its aesthetics, deeming it confusing or out of place, while others see it as an invitation to reflect on the invisible world.
📍Address: Boulevard de Waterloo, rond-point René Cliquet (Rond-point Louise), 1000 Brussels
Minerva fountain
In pride of place on the Place du Grand Sablon since 1661, this fountain was donated by an exiled English nobleman, Lord Thomas Bruce, in gratitude for the warm welcome given by the people of Brussels. It depicts Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, draped in refined classicism. At the crossroads of cultures and eras, it reflects the city’s openness to passing guests. Its discreet elegance blends perfectly with the Sablon’s muted charm.
📍Address: Place du Grand Sablon 41, 1000 Brussels
Fountain Le Singe
Topped by a meditating monkey , this drinking fountain evokes a Brussels where public water was an essential resource. Inspired by the painting “Two Monkeys” by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, it is part of a series of drinking troughs created in the 1980s. The Marolles district, where it stands, was once a trading center for exotic animals. A nod to a strange era, between everyday needs and artistic bestiary.
📍Address: Rue de l’Épée, Brussels, 1000
Fountain of the Counts of Egmont and Hornes
Located on the Place du Petit Sablon, this monumental fountain commemorates the tragic execution of the Counts of Egmont and Hornes in 1568, heroes of resistance to the abuses of King Philippe II. Their bronze statues dominate a pedestal decorated with coats of arms, cabbage friezes and lansquenet soldiers. The circular basin symbolizes bloodshed and collective memory. It is one of the most powerful works of Brussels’ memorial heritage.
📍Address: Square du Petit Sablon, 1000 Brussels
Fountain Le Cracheur
With its straightforward name and sober silhouette, Le Cracheur is one of the oldest fountains still active in the city center. Dating back to 1704, it stands at the corner of two busy streets, spitting water constantly. No one knows who sculpted it, but it has stood the test of time. A simple, almost crude, fountain that bridges the gap between the past and the very contemporary use of filling one’s gourd.
📍Address: Rue des Pierres 57, 1000 Brussels
Anspach fountain
Installed on Place de Brouckère, this fountain pays tribute to Jules Anspach, the visionary mayor who transformed Brussels in the 19th century. It was he who covered the river Senne and laid out the great boulevards inspired by Paris. The fountain recalls this era of radical modernization and bold urban planning. A masterpiece in the Haussmannian puzzle of the Belgian capital.
📍Address: Rue Locquenghien 2, 1000 Brussels
Fountain La Cabosse
On Place du Samedi, this contemporary bronze fountain takes the stylized form of a cocoa pod. Signed by artist Jean-François Octave, it questions our relationship with nature and the origins of things. The work subtly echoes the colonial past and the chocolate trade, while offering a poetic form to the public space. A fountain that prompts reflection as much as contemplation.
📍Address: Place Simonis, 1081 Koekelberg, Brussels
La Moisson – Breughel drinking trough
In the Pentagon district, at the corner of Rue des Éperonniers and Marché aux Fromages, the public drinking trough “La Moisson” pays tribute to a scene by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Sculpted in bronze by Jos De Decker, it evokes a time when street water was part of everyday life. Discreet yet evocative, it belongs to a series of fountains inspired by the Flemish master’s paintings, and thus combines artistic heritage and urban function.