Lion of Belfort


The Lion of Belfort, in Belfort, France, is a monumental sculpture by Frédéric Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.

Overview

Finished in 1880, it is made entirely of red sandstone. The blocks it is made from were individually sculpted, then moved under Belfort castle to be assembled. Twenty-two meters in length and 11 meters in height, the colossal work dominates the local landscape.
The lion symbolizes the heroic French resistance during the Siege of Belfort, a 103-day Prussian assault. The city was protected from 40,000 Prussians by merely 17,000 men led by Colonel Denfert-Rochereau.
Instead of facing Prussia to the east as was intended, the statue was turned the other way following German protests.
Smaller editions stand in the center of Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris and in Downtown Montreal — Lion of Belfort.

Gallery