King Albert I of Belgium - Paris, France
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 48° 51.877 E 002° 19.096
31U E 450001 N 5412630
This monument is located near the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Waymark Code: WMD9H0
Location: Île-de-France, France
Date Posted: 12/09/2011
Views: 21
This monument is from the nation of France...thanking King Albert I of Belgium. This is an apparent reference to the fact that King Albert refused Germans entry into Belgium when it was apparent that war was about to break out between France and Germany in what would become World War I. The sculpture depicts King Albert astride a horse..wearing military gear..a sword and a long coat and boots. On the sides of the monuments are beautiful reliefs depicting different Belgian cities. The pedestal is about 25 feet high and the statue is bronze and larger than lifesize. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, a web search did not reveal the artist for this work. It is dated 1918.
Albert (1875-1934) reigned as King of Belgium 1909-1934.
After defying the Germans, Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"When Germany subsequently invaded Belgium, King Albert, as prescribed by the Belgian constitution, took personal command of the Belgian army, and held the Germans off long enough for Britain and France to prepare for the Battle of the Marne (6–9 September 1914). He led his army through the Siege of Antwerp and the Battle of the Yser, when the Belgian army was driven back to a last, tiny strip of Belgian territory, near the North Sea. Here the Belgians, in collaboration with the armies of the Triple Entente, took up a war of position, in the trenches behind the River Yser, remaining there for the next four years. During this period, King Albert fought with his troops and shared their dangers, while his wife, Queen Elisabeth, worked as a nurse at the front. The King also allowed his 14-year-old son, Prince Leopold, to enlist in the Belgian army as a private and fight in the ranks."