He was troubled but also troubling. Paranoid, with an acute persecution complex, he reinforced his bedroom and equipped his palace in Paris with secret passageways. It seems that Brunswick once said that, «were not for his enormous wealth, he would already be in an insane asylum».
Due to his escapades he was dethroned and chased from his country in 1830 and lived for a while in Paris.
Three years before his death he came to live in Geneva and stayed in one of the hotels. When he died, he gave all his money to the city of Geneva in exchange for the construction of this mausoleum, built in 1879 (on Quai du Mont-Blanc) by architect Franel on the model of one in Verona, Italy. The city used the money to build the golden gates of Parc des Bastions and the city's opera, the Grand Theatre.
35 comments:
Wow what an interesting story. Sounds like quite a character! Beautiful photos. I love the light in them.
Merci Rosa, pour ces belles photos et les explications.
Je suis rouge de honte car c'est un monument que je connais depuis mon enfance et je ne savais rien de ses origines
Un petit tour aux bords du leman avant le weekend. C'est sympa ca Rosa.
What a beautiful country you live in Rosa! :)
Beautiful photos Rosa. Now, I miss Switzerland.
What an interesting story. Secret passages ways - you could write a mystery story there.
Sam
what a nice piece of art, and quite a character that Duke, very beatiful photos Rosa,
cheers,
pity
Glorious......
Those pictures are marvellous. Specially the second one wich reminds me of the Albert Memorial in London. I could spent days admiring it. The one you pictured seems as fascinating.
How gorgeous! What an interesting history behind the monument.
What really nice pictures Rosa! love them, gloria
Nice history, cheers
Thank you for sharing this very interesting bit of history Rosa! He does sound quite eccentric!
So interesting, and what an ornate monument. Love the back side view of the winged creature.
Gorgeous Rosa!
We just don't have things like this beautiful around our town.
That's an amazing story and pictures! I wish one day to visit Geneva, hopefully before I am too odl :-p
Fierté dans le ciel, merci! Bises et bon week end
rili want to visit switzerland now.. beautiful!! :)
Wow thats wonderful clicks...
Very nice story and the pictures as just amazing...love the details :-)
Very beautiful sculptures and interesting story. Have a nice weekend.
Merci pour ces photos et ce ciel magnifique.
Merci pour les belles photos, que j'aime. Bon week-end!
I can't help but feel sad when I hear of talented people that are so obsessed with fears. Still, he was able to leave a legacy of beauty.
Thanks for the pictures and history lesson, Rosa! Have a great weekend!
What a gorgeous monument with such an interesting history. Beautiful pictures!
Nice photos! I remember walking past the mausoleum several times while visiting Geneva a few years ago.
Have a nice weekend, Rosa!
Greetings,
Tiina
Somehow I can't remember this monument, I'm ashamed to say but your pictures are beautiful and make me want to return to Geneva soon.
Très joli monument! J'en découvre des choses ici...
Bon week-end!!!
Bises
je vais svt à geneve pour le boulot ;j'irai voir next time cheers !Pierre
Je suis d'accord pour te suivre dans toutes tes escapades.
I like the last picture, nice detail.
The Brunswick Monument is the first things I ever saw in Geneva, and I still think among the most beautiful. I never knew it had such an interesting story behind it.
Very interesting story and lovely photos!
Monika
.. je te dis que je pratique mon anglais lorsque je passe ici lol!!!!!
..merci pour tout Rosa;)
~nancy xx
All of the DB'ers are brave for this one. Puff pastry is not easy. So impressed!
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