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Origin and history

The monument to the aircraft Theodore Sivel and Joseph-Eustache Crocé-Spinelli is a stone obelisk erected at Ciron (Indre), in memory of the two victims of a tragic air accident. In 1875, their balloon, the Zenith, crashed in this commune, costing the two men their lives. Only Gaston Tissandier, brother of the monument architect, Albert Tissandier, survived the disaster. The latter then designs this modest memorial, surrounded by a grid, to honor their memories.

Lobelisque, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 2017, stands rue de l'Eglise Saint-Georges. It symbolizes the perilous beginnings of aeronautics and the sacrifice of pioneers like Sivel and Crocé-Spinelli. The municipality of Ciron is now the owner, preserving this historical testimony linked to the scientific exploration of the nineteenth century.

The monument is part of a broader context of commemoration of technical advances, often marked by human drama. At the time, balloon climbs, although spectacular, remained dangerous due to technological limitations. This memorial also recalls the role of families in preserving memory, such as that of the Tissandier, deeply involved in aeronautics.

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