Lion Monument on Lemelerberg

On top of the Lemelerberg next to the restaurant. A number of beautiful hiking routes start here.

Beautiful monument erected in 1913 to commemorate the then 100 years of independence from the Netherlands.

A beautiful place with a special statue. In my search for the reason for this image I discovered the following:

The red lion sits high on his pedestal. He watches over the Lemelerberg. He still looks out over Park 1813. But what is that lion doing there?

In 1893 things were going badly in the Dutch cities. Large families lived in abject poverty in small unhealthy houses. Social unrest increased.

A number of wealthy people were very concerned and founded the Orange League of Order. They wanted to offer the impoverished city dwellers hope to escape the dreary life in the city. At the same time, the union wanted to combat the rising socialism and the social unrest that poverty brought with it. The Orange League of Order purchased wasteland to be cultivated by impoverished workers from the cities.

For example, the Oranjebond acquired land on the Lemelerberg. The large, extensive heathland area of around 1900 changed. The union showed its orange-mindedness by building the 'Park 1813' memorial park to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1913. Straight avenues, with the names of the union members, and winding paths were built by workers from the cities.

The lion, the symbolic 'watchdog' of the Orange League of Order, watched over the park. Over the course of its existence, the Orange League of Order worked increasingly closely with the Dutch Heath Society. In 1923, when the association was dissolved, it took over the assets. (source politeelemelerberg.nl)