Lion du Belfort

Top choice in The Jura Mountains


Belfort's icon is a monumental lion statue that sits astride the citadel, scowling down on the town. Created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, best known for designing the Statue of Liberty, the red sandstone lion – almost 11m high – represents the spirit of the French army's resistance during the Siege of Belfort during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71).

Walk by at night, when the lion is illuminated.


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