Saint Exupéry Monument in Lyon, France

The city of Lyon dedicated a monument to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to celebrate his legacy as both a pioneering aviator and a beloved writer. Born in Lyon in 1900, Saint-Exupéry became internationally famous for his works, particularly The Little Prince. The monument also commemorates his contributions to aviation and his mysterious disappearance during a World War II reconnaissance flight, honoring his adventurous spirit and humanistic ideals.

In 1935, Saint-Exupéry and his navigator André Prévot crashed in the Libyan desert while trying to break a record for fastest flight from Paris to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). They had limited supplies and only enough water for one day. But the pair managed to survive four days in the desert before they were discovered by a passing Bedouin who saved their lives. This harrowing incident was one of the things that inspired the story in The Little Prince.

The statue was unveiled in 2000, on the 100th anniversary of Saint-Exupéry’s birth. The Little Prince and Saint Exupéry are depicted on a column of white marble. The column weighs seven tons and is more than 16 feet high. Three quotations from his writings can be seen on the pedestal, and the last page of The Little Prince is depicted on the pedestal.

Source: Atlas Obscura - Latest Articles and Places