Gëlle Fra

Heading south towards the Péitruss valley one can easily distinguish the towering granite obelisk of the Gëlle Fra or the Monument of Remembrance (Monument du Souvenir in French). The 21 meters tall obelisk is the pedestal on which an amazing gilded bronze statue of a lady representing Nike, the goddess of victory or Queen of freedom, holds out a laurel wreath as if placing it upon the head of the nation.

At the feet of the obelisk two bronze figures representing the Luxembourgian soldiers that volunteered to serve France during the German occupation of 1914-1918 most of which never came back (over 2800). One lies at the base of the statue, having died in service of his country, whilst the other sits, mourning his dead compatriot

The sculptor of the three bronze figures was Claus Cito, a native Luxembourger, and the model was inaugurated in 1923. The Gëlle Fra or Golden Lady stands on the ancient Beck bastion, named after the Governor Baron Johann von Beck, a Luxembourger who played a key role in the Imperial Army during the 17th century.

The bastion was raised to its current height of 27 meters, the same height as the Place de la Constitution in 1685 by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (famous French military engineer). Before that, it was as high as the adjacent terraces on the right built by the Spanish in 1644 to strengthen the existing medieval fortifications. After the end of its military purposes, the bastions were dressed with beautiful gardens on the top.