Belgium

The city's most famous citizen is also its cheekiest: a naked young boy who quite unashamedly pees into... a fountain, thus attracting millions of fascinated visitors every year. The figure, which is only 60 cm (2 ft) high, is first mentioned in 1388, although the story of how he came to be is still shrouded in myth and legend. One of these claims that the young Gottfried III, the Duke of Brabant, provided the inspiration for the bronze sculpture after ridiculing enemy soldiers during a battle with this unmistakeable gesture. However the figure came into being, it has now become traditional for official visitors from around the world to bring clothes for Manneken Pis – and he now apparently has over 800 costumes, which are used to dress him up on special occasions. In 1985, in the interest of sexual equality, he was given a little sister - Janneke Pis - who can be found in the nearby Rue Impasse de Fidélité. more

The royal residence at the southern end of the Parc de Bruxelles is one of the most beautiful and important... buildings in the Quartier Royal - at least today, for it originally had more modest dimensions. After the first residence burnt down in 1731, two smaller state palaces were joined in the middle (the difference between the two can still clearly be distinguished today). However, this building was too modest for King Leopold II, so in 1904 he had it lavishly converted into a magnificent Louis XVI-style palace using money from the Belgian colonies. The palace now incorporates impressive columned gables and opulently decorated state rooms, which can be visited whenever the king is not in residence (normally between mid-July and the end of September). However, the Hotel Bellevue in the North Wing is open all year round. Here, you can visit grand rooms with historic furnishings and learn more about the history of the Belgian monarchy in the BELvue Museum (http://www.belvue.b). more

In 1898 the architect Victor Horta designed a residence with studio for himself which was to express... all his dreams of an avant-garde house. The house was to be in Art Nouveau style down to the last detail - a style for which he was the most important representative in Brussels. Thus visitors now wander through rooms with carefully crafted pieces of furniture made from gleaming wood. The iron construction elements are evident and appear to unravel themselves in sophisticated intricate tendrils. The large glass dome submerges the house in shimmering light - who wouldn't want to just move in? Together with the other Horta buildings in Brussels, the Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay and the Hôtel van Eetvelde, this former residence is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. more