Place de la République
Bronze war memorial of a mother mourning two sons, set in a garden ringed by ginkgo trees.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Place de la République in Strasbourg opens with a question: who is the bronze woman at its center mourning, cradling two dying sons in her arms, one in French uniform and one in German? It traces the square's history as Kaiserplatz, built by Germany in the 1880s around an equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm the First, and what stood on that pedestal after France reclaimed the city following the First World War. You'll hear how sculptor Leon-Ernest Drivier wrestled with an almost impossible commission for what should replace it. Look for the four ginkgo trees ringing the square, said to be a gift between two emperors.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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