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B R U N S W I C K
M O N U M E N T
PASEO DEL PRADO, 8
The monument to Charles II of Brunswick ( 1804 – 1873 ) in the
Alpine Park of Geneva is dedicated to the German duke ,
expelled from his own lands . The monument in the form of a
mausoleum was built in 1879 according to the design of Jean
Franel ( 1824 - 1885 ).
Charles II was born in the German duchy of Braunschweig and
became its head at the age of 11 years . However , he was not
allowed to rule , and his guardian , George , was not yet the king
of the British Empire , but the banal Prince of Wales , while the
Prince Regent with his crazy father , took the reins in his hands .
Of course , after Britain , managing a small Braunschweig was
extremely simple . Karl really hoped that when he turned 18 , the
power would go to him . George said that they did not come of
age on the island before the age of 21 , but at the end of 1823 at
the age of 19 , Charles II finally became the head of the
government .
He moved to Geneva in 1870 after the start of the Franco -
Prussian War . He had no children , he could not bear relatives ,
and therefore in his testament in 1871 , he wrote that he would
write off all his incalculable wealth to the city of Geneva ,
provided that they built a pretentious mausoleum in the image
and likeness of the tomb of the family Della Skall in Verona ,
famous tombs of Scaligers , where the body will rest above the
ground , and the monument will be crowned with an equestrian
statue . The best husbands of Geneva really wanted the money ,
and when the duke passed away in 1873 , they looked around
with millions of eager eyes and went to choose architects .
Of the 24 million francs that the city inherited from Charles II
of Brunswick , 2 million were spent on its mausoleum . The rest
was enough for the university , the opera and several other large
buildings .
Architect Jean Fresnel created a tomb similar to the Veronese
one . Hexagonal at the base , it consists of three tiers . The
marble sarcophagus is located in the middle part and is
decorated with bas - reliefs representing scenes from the history
of Braunschweig . On the cover of the sarcophagus , there is a
figure of the duke himself , with a lion at his feet . At the corners
of the sarcophagus are statues of angels . Outside , on separate
pillars under the marble Gothic canopies are the statues of the
Duke ' s ancestors .