🇨🇭 Lucerne
Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal)
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Commemorates Swiss Guards killed in Paris in 1792 defending Louis XVI's palace during the French Revolution. Carved into the cliff in 1820-1821.
Carved into a sandstone wall in 1821 to commemorate the Swiss Guards killed defending Louis XVI at the Tuileries, the Lion of Lucerne sits in a quiet pool in a small park ten minutes' walk from the old town. It is brief — fifteen minutes is enough — but the carving's weight is genuinely moving. Pair with the Glacier Garden next door if you want more substance.