sleeping lion, Nafplio Travel Guide

The Sleeping Lion, or Lion of Bavaria, is an imposing sculpture located in the Pronoia district of Nafplio, Greece. Carved into the natural rock, this large monument depicts a sleeping lion and serves as a memorial to the Bavarian soldiers who perished from typhoid fever in the region between 1833 and 1834. These soldiers were part of the retinue of King Otto, the first king of Greece, who was himself of Bavarian descent.King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto's father, commissioned the sculpture. Created by German sculptor Christian Heinrich Siegel between 1840 and 1841, it is based on the Lion of Lucerne by Bertel Thorvaldsen. The sculpture is one of the most significant open-air works of art from 19th-century Greece. An inscription in both German and Greek at the base of the monument dedicates the lion to the Bavarian soldiers who died.The sculpture is located on Michail Iatrou Street, between the Church of Aghii Pandes and the modern graveyard. A small park with benches sits in front of the monument, offering a space for visitors to rest and reflect.