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All Switzerland Lucerne Lion of Lucerne

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen Swiss Guards of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.

Lucerne, Switzerland

Added By
Kyle D.
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Sleepy Lion   gzhtub / Atlas Obscura User
Sleepy Lion   gzhtub / Atlas Obscura User
Lion of Lucerne   Gürkan Sengün
  Dennis Jarvis / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Dennis Jarvis / CC BY-SA 2.0
  meganparmele / Atlas Obscura User
  irishrose79 / Atlas Obscura User
Exquisite lion   mikeslolady1 / Atlas Obscura User
  Antahny / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Created to remember the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred during the French Revolution, the Lion of Lucerne was emotionally evocative enough to garner the attention of none other than Mark Twain.

Carved directly into the wall of a former sandstone quarry in Lucerne, the titular lion statue sees the regal beast dying from a spear wound which is marked by a shield bearing the mark of the French monarchy. The remarkably large monument was etched from the stone in 1820 and measures a remarkable ten meters in length and six meters in height. Above the mournful lion is the inscription, "HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI," which is Latin for "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss," and below the lion's niche is a list of some of the deceased officers' names.

In his 1880 travelogue, A Tramp Abroad, American author and noted satirist Mark Twain described the monument as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world." The lifeless eyes of the Lion of Lucerne may not be able to cry, but the endless tragedy in its gaze still inspires more than its share of tears.

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Monuments Literature Statues Sculptures Military History Military

Community Contributors

Added By

ectoman3

Edited By

Martin, EricGrundhauser, mikeslolady1, gzhtub...

  • Martin
  • EricGrundhauser
  • mikeslolady1
  • gzhtub
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • Antahny
  • meganparmele
  • irishrose79

Published

December 5, 2013

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Sources
  • http://twentytwowords.com/2013/01/30/the-saddest-rock-in-the-world-according-to-mark-twain-4-pictures/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Monument
  • http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g188064-d522810-Reviews-Dying_Lion_of_Lucerne_Monument-Lucerne.html
Lion of Lucerne
Denkmalstrasse 4
Lucerne, 6006
Switzerland
47.058516, 8.31093
Get Directions

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Photo of Lucerne

Lucerne

Switzerland

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