The ''Lion of Belfort'', in

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Territo ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, is a monumental sculpture by

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi ( , ; 2 August 1834 – 4 October 1904) was a French sculpture, sculptor and painting, painter. He is best known for designing ''Liberty Enlightening the World'', commonly known as the Statue of Liberty. Early life a ...

, the sculptor of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

(''Liberty Enlightening the World'').

Overview

Finished in 1880, it is made entirely of red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. The blocks it is made from were individually sculpted, then moved under

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

to be assembled. Twenty-two meters in length and 11 meters in height, the colossal work dominates the local landscape. The

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

symbolizes the heroic French resistance during the

Siege of Belfort The siege of Belfort (3 November 1870 – 18 February 1871) was a 103-day military assault and blockade of the city of Belfort, France by Prussian forces during the Franco-Prussian War. The French garrison held out until the January 1871 arm ...

, a 103-day

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n assault (from December 1870 to February 1871). The city was protected from 40,000

ns by merely 17,000 men (of whom only 3,500 were from the military) led by Colonel Denfert-Rochereau. Instead of facing

to the east as was intended, the statue was turned the other way following German protests.Bartholdi entre au musée
Aurélie Jacques, 28 avril 2011, Le Point Smaller editions stand in the center of

Place Denfert-Rochereau Place Denfert-Rochereau, previously known as Place d'Enfer, is a public square located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, France, in the Montparnasse district, at the intersection of the boulevards Raspail, Arago, and Saint-Jacques, and the ave ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and in

Downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal ( French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Vil ...

—

Lion of Belfort (Montreal) The ''Lion of Belfort'' (french: Le lion de Belfort) is a monument at Dorchester Square in Downtown Montreal. Description and history The ''Lion of Belfort'' is a reclining British Imperial Lion, facing east towards France and the United Kin ...

Gallery

File:The Lion of Belfort, by Bartholdi.jpg, People standing in front of the sculpture, showing its enormous size. File:2011-09-06 14-18-32-citadelle-belfort.jpg, The ''Lion'' beneath the Belfort citadel. File:2014-09-15 16-14-55 lion-belfort.jpg, The ''Lion of Belfort'' File:Lionbelfort.JPG, Bronze reduction of the sculpture in

, Paris. File:J12338 EMDX-ArtVille 20110617-190029-LionDeBelfort-SquareDorchester.jpg, Stone reduction of the sculpture in

Dorchester Square , photo = Square Dorchester 01.jpg , photo_width = , photo_caption = , map = Canada Montreal , map_width = , type = Town square , location = Downtown Montreal, Ville-Marie Montreal, Quebec, Canada , nearest_city = , coords = , coo ...

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

. File:Belfort Lion.jpg, Belfort ''Lion'' in night File:Le Lion de Belfort avant son inauguration le 18 septembre 2011.jpg,

References

External links

Sculptures of lions Outdoor sculptures in France Buildings and structures in Belfort Mountain monuments and memorials 1880 sculptures Monuments and memorials in France Stone sculptures in France Sandstone sculptures Sculptures by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Colossal statues {{France-sculpture-stub

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links