Löwendenkmal
The Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument) is a large relief sculpted directly into a rock face, depicting a dying lion pierced by a spear, commemorating the Swiss Guards killed defending the French royal family during the 1792 storming of the Tuileries Palace in Paris. Carved in 1820-21 based on a design by Bertel Thorvaldsen, it's regarded as one of the most moving pieces of memorial sculpture in Europe — Mark Twain famously called it "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."
It's a quiet, contemplative stop rather than a spectacle, set in a small park with a reflecting pool in front of the rock face, and it's usually paired with a visit to the adjacent Glacier Garden given their proximity.
Löwendenkmal FAQs
Swiss Guards killed defending the French royal family during the 1792 storming of the Tuileries Palace in Paris.
No, it's a free outdoor monument in a small public park.
10-15 minutes, though it invites a slower, more contemplative pause than that.
Yes, it's a short walk from the Glacier Garden and Lucerne's old town.
It was carved directly into a rock face in 1820-21 based on a design by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.
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