Liberation Statue

The statue of the Deliverance, in memory of 1918

The Nantes audio-guided tour has you discover, with quiet respect, the statue of the Deliverance: a bronze figure of a woman brandishing a sword towards the sky, her face turned towards the light. It belongs to the First World War memorial and invites remembrance.

A work by Émile Guillaume

Created in 1914 by the French sculptor Émile Guillaume and first entitled the Victory, the work was chosen in 1919 to be reproduced in several copies, given to towns in France and Belgium that had experienced German occupation. In Nantes, the statue was integrated into the war memorial and inaugurated in 1927. It expresses the mixed feelings experienced at the announcement of the 1918 armistice: relief and pride, but also sadness and awareness of the sacrifice.

What there is to see

The bronze statue, slender and expressive, forms with the memorial tables an ensemble dedicated to the memory of the people of Nantes who fell in combat. A place of commemoration, notably each 11 November, it remains one of the emblems of the memory of the Great War in the city. It is a solemn and moving stop, which calls for respect and reflection.

Practical information

The statue of the Deliverance is part of the war memorial of Nantes, in the city centre. A place of memory located in the public space, it can be contemplated freely at all hours and on the level, with the respect due to this commemorative monument.

What does the statue of the Deliverance represent?

A woman brandishing a sword towards the sky, symbol of the mixed feelings felt at the 1918 armistice; it belongs to the First World War memorial.

Who created this statue?

The French sculptor Émile Guillaume, in 1914; the Nantes version was inaugurated in the war memorial in 1927.