Manneken Pis, the most popular symbol of Brussels, was dressed in a Russian spacesuit to mark the 50th anniversary of Yury Gagarin's first space flight.
"This event amazed [everyone] at the time and made hearts beat faster," Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans told RIA Novosti.
The small fountain sculpture was dressed in the spacesuit on the initiative of 23 Russian-speaking organizations in Belgium.
The spacesuit was brought to Belgium in 2003 by a group of Russian cosmonauts who accompanied Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne during their space flight.
The tradition to dress Manneken Pis dates back to 1698 and the statue's wardrobe consists of several hundred different costumes, which can be seen on display inside the City Museum near the Town Hall.
BRUSSELS, April 12 (RIA Novosti)
