Waterloo battle bicentenary – “Lion of Brunswick” and Hanoverian monument renovated with German funds

Two important monuments commemorating the battle of Waterloo were re-inaugurated after their renovation, in the presence of the ambassadors of France and Germany as well as local authorities, on Friday. They are the Lion of Brunswick, in memory of the “black duke” François-Guillaume de Brunswick, mortally wounded at the battle of Quatre-Bras de Baisy-Thy (Genappe), and the Hanoverian monument built in 1818 in Lasne, near the Lion’s Mound. Most of the renovation costs were paid for by the German federal Foreign Office. The Brunswick monument was severely damaged, and the bronze lion taking pride of place at the top of a 9-metre column was removed in 2013, as it was deemed unstable. It was put back following a complete renovation, last April 2nd. These renovations cost over 110,000 euros, including 100,000 from the cultural heritage conservation programme of the German federal Foreign Office. The heritage authorities of the Wallonia-Brussels federation contributed 7,500 euros.

In Lasne, the Hanoverian monument, a large headstone listing the names of fallen German officers and soldiers from the Koniglich Deutsche Legion, was the object of a renovation project costing 26,550 euros, to which were added private donations from the von der Decken family.

(Source: Belga)  


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