Statue of Louis XVI

Statue of Louis XVI
The statue in 2008
Artist	Achille Valois
Subject	Louis XVI
Location	Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Coordinates	38°15′16″N 85°45′37″W

A statue of Louis XVI by Achille Valois arrived in Louisville, Kentucky, in December 1966 and was installed in July 1967, it will likely be reinstalled before 2029.

Description

Characteristics of the statue

Weight	Height	Material
6.5 tons	6′10″	Carrara marble with limestone base

History

The statue's first home was the town square of Montpellier, France, in 1829. There, it was reviled and toppled over in less than year. It was then moved to a military dungeon and stayed there until it was discovered by an officer taking inventory in 1899. In 1966, Montpellier decided to give the statue to Louisville, Kentucky, since the city is named after Louis XVI. It was shipped on a U.S. Navy ship to Norfolk, Virginia, where it sat for a week in Naval Station Pier 2 in late 1966. The statue was then put on a train and made it to Louisville on Christmas Day 1966. The mayor of Louisville at the time, Kenneth Schmied, is quoted as saying, "It's a great Christmas present for our city."

Following vandalism during the May 2020 George Floyd protests, it was removed to a city storage facility that September. Restoration costs were estimated at $200,000. It will likely be reinstalled before the statue's bi-centennial in 2029 so that it can be again displayed as a "gesture of friendship" that will last "forever."

See also

• List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests