Lion's Mound, Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium

The Lion's Mound is a large conical artificial hill in Braine-l'Alleud. King William I of the Netherlands ordered its construction in 1820, and it was completed in 1826. It commemorates the location on the battlefield of Waterloo where a musket ball hit the shoulder of William II of the Netherlands (the Prince of Orange) and knocked him from his horse during the battle. It is also a memorial of the Battle of Quatre Bras, which had been fought two days earlier, on 16 June 1815.

A statue of a lion standing upon a stone-block pedestal surmounts the hill. Jean-François Van Geel (1756–1830) sculpted the model lion, which closely resembles the 16th-century Medici lions. The lion is the heraldic beast on the personal coat of arms of the monarch of The Netherlands, and symbolizes courage.

Its right front paw is upon a sphere, signifying global victory. William Cockerill's iron foundry in Liège cast the lion, in sections; a canal barge brought those pieces to Brussels; from there, heavy horse-drays drew the parts to Mont-St-Jean, a low ridge south of Waterloo.

There is a legend that the foundry melted down brass from cannons that the French had left on the battlefield, in order to cast the metal lion. In reality, the foundry made nine separate partial casts in iron, and assembled those components into one statue at the monument site.

References:

Wikipedia

Statues in Belgium

User Reviews

Justin Williams (2 years ago)
Great museum and monument. Informative and interactive. People there are friendly and they have an amazing 4d show well with the watching. Anyone wanting to see apart of history should go here 4 outta 5 as part of the facilities was closed for unknown reasons.

Tom De Pauw (2 years ago)
We enjoyed the best guided tour in English at 3:30pm for almost 3 hours. Revealing little known facts. Some of which were reinforced in the 3D movie. All included in the price. No tips. Very helpful staf. I recommend it.

Ting Li (2 years ago)
Very beautiful view from the top of the hill!? Perfect for a trip of half day. The museum visit includes a 4D film, which gives an immersing experience of the battle. There is also a free carriage between the panorama and Hougoumont farm. I visited the site more than 10 years ago, but the recent revisiting gave me a renovated experience.

S.K. Werner (2 years ago)
Breathtaking voyage into history. The monument is an impressive sight, but you need to be a history buff to enjoy the museum as well. Pro tip: explore the areas surrounding the monument as well and you will catch some fascinating glimpses into the past.

Tom Lejeune (2 years ago)
Nice visit and museum. You no longer have the option to only visit the monument (climb to the top of the mountain) so you have to buy a combiticket with access to the museum. As we didn't have time for a long visit, this was rather expensive, so make sure you take the time to visit the lovely museum as well! Friendly staff, Corona-proof visit!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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