Of Water and Cheese — In Search of the Dying Lion
Lunch at Heini
It was time for lunch. As much as I looked forward to having some hot food, I was a little lost as to how to find the right food for the right price. All things in Switzerland were expensive, with the exception of water.
I must have passed by the Weggisgasse, and I found a restaurant. A pull-up showing a picture of tomato with tagliatelle came into view. This is it!
Heini was bustling with all walks of life at this hour. This beautiful tomato with tagliatelle is called Pasta Rossini. What an elegant name I thought, then the William Tell Overture played on my mind and I started giggling. It was very funny because the way that I rushed through the first part of Luzern sounded exactly like it. Well, it sounds like a perfect lunch for me.
The dish was vegetarian in hearty portions. It came with a salad, a bread roll, and a piece of chocolate with the coffee. All of this cost 21 CHF and it was reasonable by Switzerland standard. I enjoyed the atmosphere as I ate. Heini was a busy restaurant. Yet as with my general experience in Switzerland, the staff was ever so courteous. I needed the warmth and the human interaction.
After lunch I decided to head out to the single most important landmark in Luzern. The Löwendenkmal is at the eastern end of town. There would be a little bit of a walk in snow, but I was ready.
On my way I passed by the Bourbaki Panorama, which features a circular panorama. It shows a scene of the French troops marching through Switzerland during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. The painter was Edouard Castres. Although it is one of the few panoramic paintings in the world, I have little training in art appreciation. So I passed on this expense.
The Löwendenkmal
The main reason why I chose Luzern as my last day trip in Switzerland was to see the Löwendenkmal. Known as the “Dying Lion,” the Lowendenkmal is a lion figure pierced by a spear. It is a rock relief hewn into a cliff in Luzern.
When you see the store with a large and beautiful Pinocchio at its door, you know you are near the dying lion. It was still snowing then, but there was the excitement of all these tourists to keep it warm for me. Regardless of our nationalities, we all marveled at its beauty. It brought forth an expression of unspeakable sadness, so touching that it was universal. The power of art was palpable.
Indeed, the dying lion conveys such powerful emotions that no explanations are necessary. But perhaps the historical context of the monument helps in order to understand it better. Bertel Thorvaldsen was a famous Danish sculptor born in the 18th century. He designed the dying lion.[1] Lukas Ahorn hewn this rock relief by hand in 1820-1821.
The lion commemorates the Swiss mercenary guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. They were the guards for Louis XVI at the Tuileries Palace, after Louis XVI retreated from the Palace of Versailles. Some died during the battle. They were out of ammunition and seriously outnumbered by the Revolutionaries. Some died in the massacre that followed. Still some died in prison.[2]
The Latin phrase above the rock, Helvetiorum Fidei Ac Virtuti, means “To the Loyalty and the Bravery of the Swiss.”[3] The names of those who died and survived are also memorialized here.
As for me, this imagery of the dying lion reminded me of one of my favorite books during my teen years, and it was Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Although I was not able to find the reason why the figure was a lion, as art this sculpture certainly transcends all cultures.
According to the Wikipedia, Mark Twain has praised the Löwendenkmal to be the “most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”[4]
I asked a fellow tourist to take a picture of me and the lion. The couple were Chinese. They positioned me here, there, and snapped a few pretty good shots, despite my having gained quite a bit of weight during this trip. “Make sure that you capture the reflection in the pond.” He reminded me when I raised my film camera. I thanked him for the advice.
It must have been the mere power of art that made people line up one by one, all in order. Everyone was very happy to take pictures for each other. Soon, the crowds dispersed, and I spent another 10 minutes just admiring the view.
It was time to go as it snowed increasingly heavily. I had in mind my last stop: the Museggmauer.
[1] The Wikipedia on Bertel Thorvaldsen, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertel_Thorvaldsen.
[2] The Wikipedia on the Lion Monument.
[3] All About Switzerland, Lion Monument, Lucerne.
[4] Supra note 2.