Braunschweig: the lion of Henry the Lion

Former capital of Duke Henry the Lion, Braunschweig has housed since the twelfth century a bronze lion statue among the best-preserved medieval symbols in Germany.

The center, dominated by the lion symbol of Henry the Lion, can be comfortably visited on foot.

The Lion of Brunswick, a bronze statue commissioned by Duke Henry the Lion in 1166, remains the oldest free-standing bronze sculpture of post-Roman Europe.

A few steps away, the St. Blaise Cathedral, where Henry the Lion himself is buried, houses a seven-branched candelabrum dating from the Twelfth century.

Continuing, you visit the Dankwarderode Castle, the reconstructed residence of the duke, which today houses replicas of the original treasures of the dynasty.

Toward evening, the Magniviertel district, with medieval half-timbered houses, animates restaurants and bars in the heart of the old city.

The Lion of Braunschweig, cast from a single block of bronze, remains the oldest non-religious sculpture of Northern Europe that has survived uninterruptedly in its original position for over eight centuries.

Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria in the twelfth century, chose Braunschweig as his personal capital, transforming it into one of medieval Germany's most important centers of power.