The Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) is a dying lion carved into a sandstone cliff in Lucerne, a short walk north of the old town. It remembers the Swiss Guards who were killed defending the Tuileries Palace in Paris on 10 August 1792, during the French Revolution. Mark Twain, who saw it in the 1870s, called it 'the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world'.
The Lion Monument at a glance
- Where: Denkmalstrasse, in a small park with a pond, a short walk north of the old town and right next to the Glacier Garden.
- Created: carved in 1820–1821 and unveiled in 1821.
- By: designed in Rome by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and carved into the rock by the stonemason Lukas Ahorn from Konstanz.
- What it is today: a protected monument and one of the most visited sights in Switzerland, about 10 metres long and 6 metres high, cut into the face of a former quarry.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, longer if you add the Glacier Garden next door.
A memorial to the Swiss Guards of 1792
For centuries Swiss soldiers served foreign rulers as mercenaries, and the Swiss Guards were the bodyguard of the French king. On 10 August 1792 an armed crowd stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. Louis XVI had already taken refuge with the Legislative Assembly, but the guards stayed at their posts, and hundreds of them died in the fighting or were killed afterwards. The monument gives 760 dead and 350 survivors; more recent research suggests the number of guards killed on the day was much lower, perhaps around 300.
The idea came from Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen, a Lucerne officer of the guard who happened to be at home on leave in August 1792. He wrote a book about the regiment and from 1818 raised money for a memorial, most of it from European royal houses. Thorvaldsen produced the design in Rome, and Ahorn carved it into a disused sandstone quarry. The monument was political from the start: Swiss liberals saw it as a celebration of counter-revolution and tried to disrupt the inauguration. It was placed under federal monument protection in 2006, and Lucerne marked its 200th anniversary on 10 August 2021.
What to look for
- The lion: the broken shaft of a spear sticks out of its side, and the animal lies stretched out in its last moments, an image of loyalty to the end.
- The two shields: the lion's paw rests on a shield with the fleur-de-lis of the French monarchy, and next to it lies a shield with the Swiss cross.
- The Latin dedication above the lion, HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI: 'to the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss'.
- The inscription below: the names of 26 officers and the Roman numerals DCCLX (760) for the dead and CCCL (350) for the survivors.
- The outline of the niche: step back and look at the shape of the hollow the lion lies in. Many visitors see the silhouette of a pig or boar in it.
- The pond: the still water at the foot of the cliff reflects the lion, the setting Twain thought made the monument more impressive here than it would be anywhere else.
The legend of the pig
A story told in Lucerne says the sculptor was not paid what he had been promised and took his revenge by giving the niche the outline of a pig. There is no evidence for it, so treat it as a legend. Whether the shape is deliberate or a coincidence of the rock, nobody can say for sure, but once you have spotted the pig it is hard not to see it.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning or in the evening: tour groups arrive in waves during the day and the small viewing area fills up quickly.
- This is a memorial, so keep your voice down, stay behind the railing and keep out of the pond.
- For the best photo, stand at the back of the viewing area so the whole cliff and its reflection fit in the frame.
- Take a few minutes for the information boards in the park, in German and English, which cover the guards, the artists and the debates the monument has caused.
Nearby
- Glacier Garden (Gletschergarten): right next door, with potholes ground into the rock by meltwater during the last ice age and a museum.
- Bourbaki Panorama: a huge circular painting of the French Bourbaki army being interned in Switzerland in 1871, a few minutes' walk away.
- Musegg Wall: the medieval town wall with nine towers above the old town; some of the towers can be climbed in the warmer months.
- Hofkirche St. Leodegar: Lucerne's main church with its twin spires, a short walk towards the lake.
See Lucerne with World City Trail
Our Lucerne scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with just under an hour of walking. It includes the Jesuit Church, the Spreuer Bridge and the Nölliturm on the Musegg Wall. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Chinese.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Lucerne.
Play the Lucerne scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Lucerne →
Play the outdoor escape game in Lucerne →
Facts checked in October 2026.