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Memorial Gebirgsbrigade 11

In World War II, this stone eagle (Simplon Adler) on the Simplonpass was designed by Erwin Friedrich Baumann en built by Swiss soldiers. The eagle watches in the direction of Italy.

As a symbol of vigilance, the statue was created to commemorate the "Guard on the Simplon" during the Second World War 1940-1945.
The eagle is over 9 meters high and is made of roughly hewn stones. It was designed by architect and sculptor Erwin Friedrich Baumann from Faulensee.
In the museum of the infantry fort in the Gondo Gorge, a model and documents about the construction history of the Simplon Eagle are exhibited.

The following text is written on the monument:
"In the freedom of the mountains it stands, a large memorial of hard granite:
a memorial of faithful duty transport, a lasting reminder to be prepared and awake for our freedom"

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Source

  • Text: Fedor de Vries + Bert Deelman
  • Photos: Bert Deelman (1, 2, 3), André Schild (4)

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