Territory of the Lion

It is said here that “Who has not climbed Bartholdi’s Lion, has not seen Belfort“. So as the saying goes, climb up to the proud and pharaonic animal leaning against the side of the Citadel which has forged Belfort’s reputation. A former castle remodelled by the Count of La Suze, consolidated by the inevitable Vauban from 1687 onwards, redesigned by General Haxo in the 19th century, the Citadel became a legend between 1870 and 1871. We were in the middle of the Prussian assault, but Belfort resisted and retained its French nationality. The king of the wild animals sculpted by Auguste Bartholdi (father of the Statue of Liberty) was erected as a tribute to the bravery of a combative and resistant people. 11 metres high and 22 metres wide, it remains to this day the largest stone sculpture in France. A giant that does not leave anyone indifferent and, together with the Citadel, forms a whole that was elected “France’s favourite monument in 2020”.
The Citadel and the Lion, the city’s unthronable guardians, now reveal their history through an augmented reality tour, with a breathtaking panoramic view to boot.