The Timeline
1497
The Old Swiss Confederacy constitutes the first royal guard (‘Cent-Suisses’) for the French king
1521
Ill. 1: Mercenary contract between France and the Old Swiss Confederacy, dated 1521
France and the Old Swiss Confederacy conclude their first mercenary contract in Lucerne; for the next 270 years, Lucerne profits from the lucrative trade with mercenaries
1567
Swiss Guard Colonel Ludwig Pfyffer von Altishofen saves Charles IX of France from the Huguenots on the retreat from Meaux
1792
Ill. 2: Details of the painting ‘Tuileries Palace Insurrection’ by Ludwig Bang and Otto Lorch, estimated date circa 1889
Ill. 3: Details of the painting ‘Tuileries Palace Insurrection’ by Ludwig Bang and Otto Lorch, estimated date circa 1889
A hoard of 35,000 revolutionaries storm the Tuileries Palace in Paris, killing several hundred Swiss Guardsmen in service of the French king
1798
Ill. 4: Flag of the Helvetic Republic 1799–1803
Lucerne briefly becomes the capitol of the Helvetic Republic, the first constitutional democracy in Switzerland’s history
1816
At the de la Madeleine cemetery in Paris, a memorial chapel for Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, who were buried in the cemetery, is built at the site of the Swiss soldiers’ mass grave; in 1826, the memorial is christened Chapelle commémorative (later Chapelle expiatoire)
1817
Ill. 5: Veterans received a medal from the Federal Diet of Switzerland in Bern in 1817
After the Restoration begins in Switzerland, the Federal Diet in Bern honours veterans of the Swiss Guard, and Carl Pfyffer von Altishofen develops the idea for a monument on his estate in the former Saint Antonius quarry
1818
Carl Pfyffer von Altishofen seeks sponsors throughout Europe to help pay for the monument
1819
In Rome, Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen creates a model of the lion; work begins on site in Lucerne
1820
The Saint Antonius Chapel, a memorial for the fallen soldiers, is moved to the entrance of the former quarry
1821
On 10 August, the Lion Monument is christened at the Church of Saint Leodegar in Lucerne and again on site, with numerous prominent members of the aristocracy in attendance; to demonstrate their disagreement with the political message, the Lucerne section of the student fraternity Zofingia embark on a pilgrimage to the Wilhelm Tell Chapel in the Hohle Gasse in Küssnacht
1848
Ill. 6: Swiss flag since 1848
After defeat in the Sonderbund War (a civil war), the Canton of Lucerne joins the new Swiss Federation
1867
Ill. 7: Conservation-restoration of the Lion’s paw, estimated date circa 1950
Ill. 8: Cleaning the inscription, 2009
First conservation-restoration of the Lion Monument due to damage, an underground drainage channel is later constructed; to this day, restoration and conservation are complex and financially demanding
1886
Ill. 9: Advertisement for the Alpendiorama museum, 1895
Ill. 10: Postcard with tourist attractions in Lucerne, circa 1900
The privately owned Lion Monument Museum vis-à-vis the park opens; in 1895, artist Ernst Hodel senior purchases the museum and begins converting it into an Alpine diorama, which opens as the ‘Alpineum’ in 1901
1942
Ill. 11: Swiss soldiers standing before the monument, 1953
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of 10 August 1792, the entire estate is redesigned in its present form; the fallen mercenary soldiers are held up as an example to present-day Swiss soldiers
1944
Ill. 12: Lucerne Festival with conductor Paul Sacher and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, 1990
The first serenades of the Lucerne Festival are played at the base of the monument; since then, the monument has often served as a backdrop for a wide array of events
1945
While on furlough, US soldiers visit the Lucerne Lion; the era of mass tourism begins soon afterwards
1982
Ill. 13: Poster for the open-air concert ‘Leuerock’, 1985
Ill. 14: Poster for the open-air concert ‘Leuerock’, 1988
A younger audience discovers the monument at the first open-air concert ‘Leue Rock’ (lion rock)
2009
In a political action, the Lion is vandalised and smeared with red paint
2021
Over the past 200 years, the Lion has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Switzerland – its artistic merit uncontested, its political message controversial
Büro für Geschichte, Kultur und Zeitgeschehen / Stadt Luzern (Hrsg.), In die Höhle des Löwen. 200 Jahre Löwendenkmal Luzern, Luzern 2021.
Soldallianz 1521 zwischen Frankreich und Luzern:
https://staatsarchiv.lu.ch/schaufenster/quellen/Soldallianz
Ill. 1: StALU, URK1/4, Soldallianz Frankreich und Luzern, 1521.
Ill. 2 + 3: Ausschnitte aus: Ludwig Bang und Otto Lorch, Tuileriensturm 1889, 5 x 10,5 m, beidseitig beschnitten, nicht wässerig gebundene Malschicht auf Leinwand. Eigentümer Daniel E. Hodel © Jürg Stadelmann.
Ill. 4: Wikipedia, Helvetische Republik, gemeinfrei.
Ill. 5: Haas, Franz. Die Medaillen über das Ereignis vom 10. August 1792, in: Revue suisse de numismatique 3 (1893), S. 29-34, Pl. III.
Ill. 6: Wikipedia, Schweizer Fahne, gemeinfrei.
Ill. 7: SALU, F2a/ANLAGEN/24.03:02, Fotograf unbekannt, um 1951-1955.
Ill. 8: Fotograf Martin Hüppi, 2009.
Ill. 9: ZHB Sondersammlung, LSa.17.4.1, Maler Hodels grosses Alpen-Diorama beim Löwendenkmal in Luzern = Grand diorama des Alpes vis-à-vis du monument du lion = Large diorama of the Alps quite near to the lion-monument. Luzern: Genossenschafts-Buchdruckerei, 1895.
Ill. 10: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv, Fel_003401-RE, Public Domain Mark, Fotograf unbekannt, vor 28.3.1902.
Ill. 11: ZHB Sondersammlung, P LSa17.1.55, Fotograf Karl Egli, 1953.
Ill. 12: Fotograf Peter Fischli, 1990, © Keystone.
Ill. 13: SALU, F5.A/0002, Plakat Leue Rock, unbekannt, 1985.
Ill. 14: SALU, F5.A/0009, Plakat Leue Rock, unbekannt, 1988.
Abbreviations
SALU: Stadtarchiv der Stadt Luzern
ZHB Sondersammlung: Zentral- und Hochschulbibliothek Luzern, Sondersammlung
Photo credits
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