The Monument de la France Renaissante statue in Paris
This monument was once meant to represent Joan of Arc, but was changed, and inaugurated with the name of Monument de la France Renaissante, it sits at the tip of the Ile aux Cygnes by the Pont Bir-Hakeim bridge in Paris.
About Monument de la France Renaissante Statue
Even though this equestrian statue in Paris was originally realised by the Danish artist Holger Wederkinch in 1930 when it was originally mean to represent Joan of Arc, the statue you can see today was cast in 1948 in Malakoff and donated to the City of Paris.
And in fact it was cast in bronze at the workshops that were used by other famous artists including Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Aristide Maillol, and today you can also visit different museums in Paris that are dedicated to these three famous sculptors and artists.
Now we said that it was originally meant to represent Joan of Arc, however, it was felt that the statue was too warrior looking, and therefore it had a change of name to the Monument de la France Renaissante.
Holger Wederkinch donated the statue as a lasting memory of the time he had spent in Paris, and originally it was located in the 13th Arrondissement, however, the statue was moved, and inaugurated in its current position on the Ile aux Cygnes island on the 23rd January 1958 in the presence of the Ambassador for Denmark, with the official name of Monument de la France Renaissante.
And this is a large bronze statue in Paris that weighs over 3 tons and stands approximately 4.5 metres high, and is in a lovely location, which offers a great view of the Eiffel Tower from the lookout point on the tip of the Ile aux Cygnes.
Visiting the Monument de la France Renaissante Statue
You will find the bronze equestrian statue located on the borderline between the 15th and the 16th Arrondissements of Paris on a central plot at the upstream tip of the Ile aux Cygnes island by the Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge.
The Monument de la France Renaissante can be seen from the banks of the River Seine, and the nearest Metro station is the Bir-Hakeim stop on the left bank via line 6, but if you are travelling on the RER, you would need the Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel stop.
