The Swiss town of Lucerne at first glance may seem completely unremarkable . An ancient city was formed in the 7th century , at that time this land belonged to the monastery. It has the same beautiful architecture, medieval buildings, narrow ornate streets, a paved road, like other European cities. However, there is one highlight that distinguishes Lucerne and makes it a tempting place for tourists.
We are talking about a statue of a very sad, but, according to Mark Twain , at the same time touching monument in the form of a lying lion. There is a lion right next to Lake Lucerne, on the outskirts of the city.
The French Revolution
What was the reason for the installation of the “ Dying Lion ” monument in Swiss Lucerne? Let us return to the distant 90s of the 18th century , at a time when the French monarchy ruled Switzerland. The start of the bourgeois revolution was laid by the capture of the Bastille.
At that time, Switzerland was the most authoritative Christian country , a major cultural center, but with existing feudalism.
The revolution was truly popular, as representatives of all walks of life participated in it: the mob, craftsmen, nobles, the bourgeois layer and, of course, the peasants.
Reasons for the revolution
While other European states (Great Britain, the Netherlands) have already passed from feudalism to capitalism, there were great contradictions in France in this regard . The economy was actually conducted in a capitalist way, but the order was still feudal: customs duties were conducted domestically, each province had its own measurement system, people were limited in buying and selling land, the city authorities regularly exceeded their authority, and reactionary churches took place .
Growing discontent was fueled by the increasing wealth of the upper classes , when ordinary people lived in poverty. The peasants started a rumor about the lack of charisma of the king, and the queen was accused of squandering the state treasury. Existing projects of economic reform were cut short, not giving life to the administrative workers of Turgot and his associates. But another reform turned France into a country with thousands of unemployed. The activity of philosophical thinkers unfolded, which fully described the current state of the country and denounced the existing order, while simultaneously calling for changes.
Events at the Royal Palace
The guard of the French monarch consisted of guardsmen, citizens of Switzerland. In 1792, at the end of summer, revolutionary rebels approached the royal palace itself in Paris. The whole royal family of Louis the Sixteenth hid in the Tuileries . In addition to the guards, there was a small French army in the palace, which during the siege quickly changed its mind and sided with the rebels.
August, 10th: the beginning of the storming of the palace. Thousands of guards remained the only defenders of the throne. When Louis saw the advancing crowd, he ordered him not to shoot at the traitors in order to show the people his merciful will. From the first days of their service, the guards took a special oath: to defend the king until the last, but they could not disobey the order of their ruler. In fact, the royal order disarmed them.
But this decision did not save the situation: the rebels, like wild animals, rushed forward , they were driven by a thirst for blood.
Tragic consequences
The ruthless rebels, angry at the French government, rushed to kill everyone who came into their hands. The guards were torn to pieces, their death was monstrous. The rebels, like barbarians, plundered and destroyed the palace.
The day of popular uprising went down in the history of both countries and was a terrible tragedy. About 780 Swiss gave their lives for their king. More than 200 were captured and executed.
King Louis XVI
The royal family suffered the same sad fate as their defenders. They were executed one by one , and Louis himself was the last to die . After the execution of the sentence and the killing of the king in January 1793, all French land turned into a huge field of wars and battles.
At that time, the young captain Bonaparte, pacing around the former palace, was very puzzled. According to him, lay down arms and go into complete inaction was complete madness. He did not understand why the guardsmen did not shoot the revolutionaries from cannons. He also did not know that the king himself pronounced himself a death sentence, ordering the guards to retreat. This situation, by the way, taught Napoleon a good lesson. Bonaparte ordered the killing of all those who perpetrated rebellion during his reign.
Monument to the victims of the French Revolution
The story of the massacres of the guards still has a continuation. One Swiss from the palace guard, Karl Pfuffer , was on vacation, on vacation, during all the events. Therefore, the terrible fate of being torn apart by an angry mob passed him . However, he became wildly horrified to learn about what he had done, and realized that he was obliged to perpetuate the honor and memory of his colleagues.
His homeland was the Swiss city of Lucerne, and having worked in the service for a couple of years , he returned to his homeland. It was 1801, Switzerland was still French. The ruler was Napoleon Bonaparte, already mentioned above, who would reject any attempt to build the " Dying Lion " in Swiss Lucerne. For several years, Charles nurtured this idea, and it was realized only after Switzerland gained independence in 1813.
The Dying Lion: A History of Creation
In 1818, finally came the moment of the publication of materials on the design and construction of the memorial. The military officer Karl at that time was already heading the Lucerne Arts Society at the city council. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to start a massive fundraising for construction. Initially, the project was a high relief of a dead lion. The lion was littered with broken shields and various weapons. And the highlight of the monument was that the statue had to be carved in a real steep rock, which is located just at the famous city lake .
A long search for the master began. But only the famous sculptor from Denmark was able to appreciate the full scale and purpose, at that time he had already managed to earn a name that was booming throughout the world. Bertel Thorvaldsen set to work, changing only the state of the lion. Instead of the dead, he made him dying. But to call a sculptor from Denmark to Switzerland was quite expensive for a small town, so Bertel created just in case two statues and sent them to Lucerne.
To Karl's great regret, not one of the lions arrived safe and sound, during the transportation they turned into white small crumbs. Then it was decided to go the other way - to use the services of local sculptors, but they had to work according to the sketches of the Danish master. Bertel created the model, according to which already Lucas Ahorn (who got down to business after the death of the first appointed stone craftsman) created the existing statue from a solid rock.
The long-awaited discovery
The opening of the monument took place on 08/07/1821. The " dying lion " in Swiss Lucerne was visited not only by all the aristocrats of the country and Europe, but also by miracle the surviving guardsmen of that time.
Thorvaldsen , the actual creator of The Dying Lion in Switzerland, visited his brainchild only 20 years later. He was delighted with this work of art and said that this monument will become the most famous, and nothing can stop him from doing this. And indeed, a wounded dying lion is a wonderful model depicting the worldwide grief and sorrow of the people.
"The Dying Lion": description of the monument
The picturesque corner of the city of Lucerne next to the lake perfectly suited as a place to place the conceived composition.
The sculpture has a large-scale appearance. The height of the lying lion is nine meters. The huge niche in which he resides is six meters high and thirteen long. Under the lion is a shield that depicts a symbol of French absolutism - a lily. The animal, as it were, covers the royal family with its body, with the same dedication as the guardsmen covered with their bodies. Since the guards did not have the right to drop the honor of their country, they placed a shield with the Swiss coat of arms near the head of the lion.
An inscription is engraved above the sculpture, on top of the rock, from Latin it is translated as “ Fidelity and Courage of the Swiss ” . And from the bottom of the statue, numbers are indicated, meaning the number of dead and survivors - 760 and 350, respectively. At the bottom of the monument is a memorial plaque with all the names of the dead guards.
A. Herzen described the " Dying Lion " in the Swiss city of Lucerne as the sad embodiment of the unbearable pain of loss. A mortally wounded lion with bleeding wounds and a fragment of an arrow in a powerful body lays its head on its paws, its moaning and gaze show complete helplessness before an imminent death.
Almost two hundred years have passed, and people continue to go here, honor the memory of their ancestors. Throughout the history of the Dying Lion monument , there has never been a laying of flowers or flags. Switzerland itself has never fought, being a country that maintains neutrality in all disputed issues of Europe. Despite this, she has her own army, which, like the days of unrest of the 18th -19th centuries , is faithful to its traditions and holds the oath with honor. According to them, the most important thing for military people is the trust of the common people.
Today, Swiss soldiers serve in the Vatican, guarding the pope. At their posts, Swiss guards are dressed, like centuries ago, in costumes of a combination of yellow , blue and red.