liebgard

The stories of why they were sculped made an impression on me.
1. Belfort lion
a monumental sculpture by Frédéric Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty in New York, located in Belfort, France, it symbolizes the heroic French resistance during the Siege of Belfort, a 103 days long Prussian assault (from December 1870 to February 1871). The city was protected from 40,000 Prussians by merely 17,000 men (only 3,500 were from the military) led by Colonel Denfert-Rochereau.

2. Lucerne lion
commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France. They stood their ground because they were hired and had taken an oath to protect the royalty, though they knew they could not prevail. They were killed to the last man. The American writer Mark Twain (1835–1910) praised the sculpture of a mortally-wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

3. The lion of Place de la Concorde, Paris
The obelisque stands where the guillotine once stood during the French Revolution, when it was called Place de la Revolution, when the statue of Louis XV was torn down and Louis VI, as well as Queen Marie Antoinette, Princess Élisabeth of France, Charlotte Corday, Madame du Barry, Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Antoine Lavoisier, Maximilien Robespierre, Louis de Saint-Just and Olympe de Gouge were put to the guillotine. Afterward, it was named Place de la Concorde, a place of reconciliation.

4. Golden winged lion of Venice, Italy
The Lion of Saint Mark, representing the evangelist St Mark, pictured in the form of a winged lion, is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Republic of Venice.

5. Plaza de Cibeles fountain, Madrid, Spain
This fountain, named after Cybele (or Ceres), Roman goddess of fertility, is seen as one of Madrid's most important symbols. The Cibeles fountain depicts the goddess, sitting on a chariot pulled by two lions. The fountain was built in the reign of Charles III and designed by Ventura Rodríguez between 1777 and 1782.

We were on a European trip by car and visited the first 3 within a month of each other; the others soon after

Belfort lion


Lucerne lion


Place Concorde, Paris


Venice, Italy


Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid, Spain

nikron7 Loc: Indianapolis

Thank you Liebgard for the Historic and pictorial information. I never knew. It was very informative.

Ron

liebgard

thank you, Ron.

GeneM Loc: Upstate PA

Thanks for the history lesson. I've only seen the ones in Venice and Lucerne many years ago. Very nice pics. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

fdeak Loc: Saint Michaels Maryland

:thumbup:

liebgard

thank you, fdeak & GeneM;
I just saw that my keyboard did not respond to hitting the "t" in "sculpted" at the top of the page.

treadwl Loc: South Florida

Much thanks for the history lesson. Being a history buff I found it very informative.

Larry

Snert Loc: south central Indiana

I learn stuff even when I ain't lookin' to. Thanks for the commentary and I have to agree with Mr. Clemens, that a poignant carving. Oh, before I forget, good shots.

liebgard

thank you history buff Larry and thanks Snert for the compliment on the photos.

gregoryd45 Loc: Fakahatchee Strand

Thank you for posting, liebgard, very nice shots and story

liebgard

thank you for your comment.