Lion of Belfort
See also: Lion (homonymy)
The Lion of Belfort is a sculpture of Frederic Bartholdi, located at Belfort, France.
Long and high, it 22 11 m m consists of blocks of pink sandstone of Perugia, individually carved, then moved under the Château of Belfort to be assembled there.
Work symbolizes the heroic resistance of Belfort carried out by the colonel Denfert-Rochereau during the seat of the city by the Prussian army , which lasted 103 days (of December 1870 at February 1871).
Following German protests, the deer - which was at the origin to face the enemy - is turned towards the west.
The project, initiated in 1872, is completed only in September 1879. Because of a disagreement between the town of Belfort and Bartholdi, there was no official unveiling, at that time, but an inauguration orgestré by Mr. Bartholdi and of Befortains supporting it. Mr. CHEVENEMENT will officially inaugurate it in 1989. The artist finances the August 28th 1880 an illumination of his work, which is classified historic building the April 20th 1930.
Quantities of legends concerning the animal are transmitted of word of mount. Some of them tell that it would be hollow, a machinery would be hidden inside, or an underground would start from its entrails and would make it communicate with the Castle. Others affirm that one night of howlings arrived to the city. Stranger still, after the death of the artist on October 5th, 1904, a rumor ran, and still runs, according to which the artist would have committed suicide because he would have forgotten to carve a language in the mouth of the deer. Unfounded rumor since the artist is deceased of natural death, well after the erection of the monument. This famous missing language comes from made that Mr. Bartholdi returned from Egypt and that the sulcure of the Lion is directly inspired by the sphynx which does not have any. A counterpart with the third, out of hammered copper, is placed at Paris, Place Denfert-Rochereau, in the 14 {{E}} district and another with the Botanical garden of Montreal.
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