The mournful lion - Luzern

Before leaving Luzern today we swung past a particularly poignant monument - the "mournful lion" as titled by Mark Twain. The lion really was a beautiful sculpture and in the drizzly rain, truly mournful.  He was commissioned to commemorate the massacre of Swiss Guards in 1792, sculpted in 1820.

What is particularly interesting is that if you look closely you will see the outline of a pig in the outer cave around the lion.  This was the sculptor's "hit back" at the establishment in protest of the wages he was paid for the work.  From what we have been hearing in virtually all the towns on this trip is this - do not mess with the artists as they will get you back in some form or other and they did - many times over, no matter how old the art!  For more information about the lion story click here .