| Isted Lion | |
|---|---|
Istedløven | |
| Danish Palace and Properties Agency Danish: Slots- og Ejendomsstyrelsen | |
 | |
| For victory in the Battle of Isted | |
| Unveiled | 25 July 1862 in Flensburg |
| Location | |
| Designed by | Herman Wilhelm Bissen |
ISTED DEN 25. JULI 1850 REJST 1862 2011 wieder errichtet als Zeichen von Freundschaft und Vertrauen zwischen Dänen und Deutschen | |
The Isted Lion (or Flensburg Lion) (Danish: Istedløven or Flensborgløven; German: Flensburger Löwe or Idstedter Löwe) is a Danish war monument originally intended as a monument of the Danish victory over German-minded Schleswig-Holstein insurgents in the Battle of Isted (Idstedt) on 25 July 1850, during the First Schleswig War which was a civil war within the Danish Realm, although with troops from Prussia supporting the Schleswig-Holstein insurgents. At its time it was the largest battle in Scandinavian history.
Others perceived it more as a memorial for the Danish dead in the battle.[1]
Originally erected in Flensburg, Schleswig during still Danish rule, it was moved to Berlin by Prussian authorities after Prussian conquests in the Second Schleswig War of 1864 and remained there until 1945. It was returned to Denmark as a gift from the United States Army and was located at Søren Kierkegaards Plads in Copenhagen. In September 2011 it was returned to Flensburg.
- ^ Kragelund, Britta (February 2002). "Istedløven". Dansk-Skånsk Tidsskrift no. 1, 2002 (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2006-07-14.