The Idstedt Lion – a symbol of German-Danish friendship

The bronze lion at Flensburg’s Old Cemetery has become a symbol of German-Danish friendship. But that was not always the case. The lion was crafted in 1862 by the Danish sculptor Hermann Wilhelm Bissen as a monument to the victory of the Danes over the Schleswig-Holsteiners in the Battle of Idstedt. Only a few years later, the Germans defeated the Danes, and deported the lion to Berlin. The victory trophy became spoils of war. After the Second World War, the lion made it to Copenhagen on an adventurous journey. Finally, in 2011 it was given back and returned to Flensburg, where it was enthroned in its original place. What an odyssey!