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Brunswick Lion

Brunswick Lion is a Romanesque bronze sculpture of Duke Henry the Lion, created in 1166 for the Burgplatz in Braunschweig. It shows a roaring lion standing on its front paws and was cast, probably in a local workshop, from copper ores from Rammelsberg near Goslar. The work is regarded as the oldest surviving medieval monumental artwork and a major example of bronze casting. It has been repeatedly restored over the centuries. In 1989 the original was moved to the medieval collection of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, while a faithful copy made in 1937 remained on the historic square.

The Brunswick Lion statue stands on a stone pedestal in front of a historic stone building.
The Brunswick Lion stands on a pedestal in front of a historic stone building.
September 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Brunswick Lion statue on a tall stone pedestal beside an ornate brick building.
The Brunswick Lion stands on a stone pedestal next to the castle buildings in Brunswick.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
The Brunswick Lion stands on a tall stone pedestal in a town square, surrounded by a chain fence.
The Brunswick Lion monument rises above a stone pedestal in a historic square.
© Photochrom Print Collection · Public domain
The Brunswick Lion statue on a stone pedestal, with two people holding white and black T-shirts below it.
The Brunswick Lion stands above two T-shirts held up in front of the pedestal during a public event.
June 2009 © · Public domain
Silver-colored metal lion figure on a two-tiered rectangular base, facing right.
A silver-toned metal lion figure, shown on a stepped rectangular base.
1955 © Unknown authorUnknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleBrunswick Lion
German nameBraunschweiger Löwe
Alternative namesBurglöwe; Löwenstein
TypeMedieval bronze free-standing monumental sculpture of a lion

Historical context

DateProbably between 1164 and 1176; traditionally given as 1166, but this is disputed
Historical contextCreated during the period when Henry the Lion took up residence in Braunschweig

Creator

PatronHenry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria
ArtistUnknown, probably made in a local Brunswick workshop; possibly by an experienced goldsmith or bell founder
Place of castingBrunswick

Materials

MaterialBronze; originally gilded; eyes originally enameled
Source materialProbably made from copper ore mined in Rammelsberg near Goslar

Technique

TechniqueBronze casting; fine chasing

Physical characteristics

Height1.78 m
Length2.79 m
Weight880 kg
Wall thicknessUp to 12 mm

Appearance

SubjectA roaring lion standing on its front paws, representing Duke Henry the Lion
StyleRomanesque art; stylized but naturalistic and full of life

Discovery and provenance

Original locationBurgplatz in Brunswick, in front of Dankwarderode Castle and the collegiate church / cathedral
Original settingPlaced on a high stone pedestal, originally on two low columns
Replacement at original siteA replica was placed on Burgplatz after the original was moved

Location and ownership

Current location of originalDankwarderode Castle, Brunswick; temporarily moved to the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in 2025, viewable there from March 2026
Current replica locationBurgplatz, Brunswick

History and restoration

InscriptionsA later sandstone plaque existed; the original plaque is now in the Städtisches Museum Braunschweig and was replaced by a copy in 1858; an older inscription plaque is reported in a 1722 chronicle but is lost and its date is unclear
1980 relocationThe original was moved indoors in 1980 because increasing air pollution had damaged it; the 1937 copy was placed on Burgplatz on 9 July 1980 and remains there
World War II protectionIn 1943 the original was secretly exchanged for a copy and moved to a mine tunnel at Rammelsberg near Goslar for safekeeping; returned to Brunswick on 23 October 1945 and reinstalled in 1946
1858 restorationRestored in the workshop of Brunswick bronze caster Georg Ferdinand Howaldt; the pedestal was dismantled and rebuilt
1616 alterationThe lion received a new pedestal; the original two low columns were replaced by a pyramidal base and a sandstone inscription plaque was added
Restorations and renewals1412; 1616; 1721; 1762; 1791-1792; 1818; 1858; 1980-1983

Significance

MeaningA personal emblem of Henry the Lion and a symbol of his power, ducal authority, jurisdiction, and dynastic ambitions; probably also an expression of his claim to power against Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Art historical significanceConsidered the oldest surviving large-scale sculptural work of the Middle Ages north of the Alps, the first secular free-standing large sculpture of the Middle Ages north of the Alps, and the first large hollow casting of a figure since antiquity
City significanceThe best-known symbol and landmark of Braunschweig
Models and influenceProbably modeled on the Capitoline Wolf, the Lion of Saint Mark in Venice, and the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome; Henry the Lion likely knew these works through his Italian campaigns with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Iconographic useUsed as a motif in medieval and later iconography, including city seals, the Ebstorf World Map, Hermann Bote's Sachsenchronik, ducal coins, the 1942 five-mark banknote, and a 1990s Deutsche Bundespost stamp

Other

Copies and replicasThe sculpture had numerous copies and replicas worldwide, mainly in Germany