The Monument aux morts is a war memorial located on Place de la République in Strasbourg. Erected in 1936, it commemorates the children of Strasbourg who died in World War I, from 1914 to 1918. The monument was inaugurated on 18 October 1936 by French President Albert Lebrun, who gave a speech at the ceremony. Other speakers included François de Tessan and Charles Frey, while Henry Lévy delivered the final speech in a pacifist tone. The inscription on the monument reads “À nos morts,” meaning “Our Dead.”
Created by Léon-Ernest Drivier, the monument is a secular form of the Pietà. It depicts a mother personifying the city of Strasbourg or mother Alsace, holding her two dying sons on her knees. The sons represent one fallen for Germany and the other for France. They no longer wear uniforms, and are shown first fighting each other and then shaking hands. A temporary monument had been erected on the same square in 1919. On 15 February 1953, the monument was covered in black as a protest against the verdict concerning the perpetrators of the Oradour massacre involving soldiers from Alsace.
Nearby Objects
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Place de la République 0 m away -
Palais du Rhin 120 m away -
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Palace of the Alsace-Lorraine Diet 160 m away -
Strasbourg Opera House 200 m away
War Memorial at Place de la Republique
The Monument aux morts is a war memorial located on the Place de la Republique in Strasbourg. It was erected in 1936 to commemorate the children of Strasbourg who died in World War I, from 1914 to 1918. The memorial was inaugurated on October 18, 1936, by French President Albert Lebrun. Its inscription reads A nos morts, meaning Our Dead.
Design and Symbolism
The Monument aux morts is a secular form of the Pieta sculpture created by Leon-Ernest Drivier (1878 to 1951). It depicts a mother, personifying the city of Strasbourg or the mother Alsace, holding her two dying sons on her knees. The sons represent one fallen for Germany and the other for France. They no longer wear uniforms, and the composition shows them first fighting each other and then shaking hands. Through this image, the monument presents a symbolic family scene tied to the city's wartime memory and identity.
History and inauguration
A temporary monument was erected on Place de la Republique in 1919. The second monument was initiated by Henry Levy, who served as deputy mayor of Strasbourg from 1919 to 1922 and was also a general councilor, vice president of the Jewish Consistory of Bas-Rhin, and an industrialist. The monument was inaugurated on 18 October 1936 in the presence of President Albert Lebrun. At the ceremony, Lebrun gave a speech, followed by Francois de Tessan and Charles Frey. Henry Levy delivered the final speech, which had a pacifist tone. On 15 February 1953, the monument was covered in black as a protest against the verdict concerning the perpetrators of the Oradour massacre, involving soldiers from Alsace.