Memorial stone Henry Dunant - Aywaille

This memorial stone is located in the Docteur Louis Thiry park.

It is made of a slab of limestone erected and engraved with the inscription:

ALL

HENRY DUNANT

Above it is a red cross.

The Battle of Solferino took place in Italy in 1859 and pitted the French army against Austrian forces. Henry Dunant, who had discovered the horror of the battle and was appalled by the number of dead and wounded (40,000) left behind, decided to organize the rescue of the wounded, regardless of their nationality, with the help of the civilian population.

Shortly after his experience, Henry Durant published “Un souvenir de Solferino” in 1862, which would become a true plea for humanitarian action.

This marked the beginning of the emergence of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the emergence of international humanitarian law.

At the suggestion of the local branch of the Red Cross of Aywaille, a memorial stone was placed at the entrance of the local sports center on October 13, 1986. The memorial stone was later moved when construction of the new community center began and was placed not far from the former main entrance to the community park.

Willem Vandenameele