Editor’s note:This is the fifth and final installment in a series of five articles naming the winners of the 2025 Authenti-CITY awards given by the City of Covington at a ceremony last week to mark the National Economic Development Week.
Nestled amid the German American ambiance of MainStrasse Village is a beloved morsel of Belgian history.
Mind you, there is no deep historical connection between Germany and Belgium that explains why Manneken Pis, a statue of a young lad urinating – and a nod to the original 15th century Manneken Pis statue in Brussels – is located in MainStrasse Village. It’s simply a classic example of Covington in its signature quirky charm.
Belgium legend and lore tells more than one story about its original Manneken Pis. One version is that of a young boy who, upon witnessing enemy troops set up explosives during a siege, thought fast and heroically urinated on the fuses, thus averting disaster. The citizens of Brussels honored his bravery and efficient bladder by erecting a statue in his honor. Another tale is that of a wealthy merchant whose son goes missing, only to be discovered while he is emptying his bladder. And yet another version involves a witch’s curse upon a lad who urinated on her door.
Regardless of the veracity of any of those tales, Manneken Pis is an emblem of the rebellious spirit of Brussel. How fitting that a version of him found its way to The Cov.
“Just how our own Manneken Pis statue wound up in MainStrasse comes with its fair share of stories too,” said Covington Business Retention and Expansion Manager Patrick Duffy. “We’re lucky to have him as part of Covington’s cultural landscape, because it’s little quirks like this that give our city its unique character.”
Covington has Andrew Bettinghaus and John “Mick” Robbins to thank for bringing the statue to The Cov. And they see to it that he’s a dapper lad, dressing him in appropriate seasonal attire. Pay a visit to MainStrasse Manneken Pis at 706 Main St., next to Kaleidoscope Stained Glass.
City of Covington