Lion de Belfort Paris

This lion stands amidst the traffic on Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris's 14th arrondissement; its pedestal reads A La Défense Nationale 1870-1871.

The lion has double significance for French history. It directly memorializes French resistance during the long siege of Belfort (1870-71) led by General Denfert-Rochereau) during the Franco-Prussian war, where the even larger original of this statues stands. (Another copy of the Lion of Belfort is in Montreal).

Secondly, the lion stands directly above the Paris Catacombs, which were the center of operations for the French resistance in August 1944, as the Allies landed in Normandy and moved to liberate Paris.