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  2. Patrimoine
  3. Pays-de-la-Loire
  4. Loire-Atlantique
  5. 44000 Nantes

  6. Monument to the Fifty Otages

Monument to the Fifty Otages à Nantes en Loire-Atlantique

Loire-Atlantique

Monument to the Fifty Otages

    1 Place du Pont Morand
    44000 Nantes
Ownership of the municipality
Museums of France
All statues, arches and monuments classified in France
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Monument aux Cinquante Otages
Crédit photo : Adam Bishop - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
0
100
…
1900
2000
20-22 octobre 1941
Execution of fifty hostages
20 octobre 1941
Killing of Karl Hotz
22 octobre 1952
Opening of the monument
10 mai 2017
Registration for historical monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The monument to the Fifty Otages, located on the esplanade of the Communes-Compagnon-de-la-Liberation, including its retaining walls and steps, according to the right-of-way delimited by a red line on the plan annexed to the decree, appearing on the public domain (not cadastral): inscription by order of 10 May 2017

Key figures

Karl Hotz - Feldkommandant German Victim of the attack triggering reprisals.
Marcel Fradin - Monument architect Designer of the commemorative structure.
Jean Mazuet - Sculptor of the monument Author of allegorical statues.
Eugène Claudius-Petit - Minister for Reconstruction Present at the inauguration in 1952.

Origin and history

The Monument to the Fifty Otages, located in Nantes on the Esplanade of the Five Communes-Compagnon-de-la-Libération, was inaugurated on October 22, 1952. He pays tribute to the fifty hostages executed in retaliation after the murder of Karl Hotz, Feldkommandant German, by a communist commando on 20 October 1941. Between 20 and 22 October 1941, 27 hostages were shot at Châteaubriant, 16 at Nantes and 5 at Mont Valérie, marking a tragic episode of World War II.

Designed by the architect Marcel Fradin and the sculptor Jean Mazuet, the monument consists of a 13.5 metre metal arrow, consisting of four needles or swords, surrounded by two copper statues. One represents the Resistance drawing a sword, the other symbolizes the rising France holding an ear of wheat. These elements are based on a blue granite base engraved with the names of the 48 hostages shot.

The monument was realized by the Nantes workshops of the Coyac family and registered as historical monuments on May 10, 2017. It is labeled "Twentieth Century Heritage" under the circular of March 1, 2001. Its location, at the northern end of the 50-Otages course, makes it a key element of the urban architecture of the Reconstruction in Nantes.

In 1944, the Nantes City Council decided to name the new boulevard created by the filling of the Erdre "Courses of the Fifty Otages". This memorial, as well as the course, are strong symbols of local memory and the fight against Nazi occupation.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum