Monument to the Réunion à la France - Menton

The statue depicts France as a mother figure , protectively uniting Menton under her flag. At her feet stands proudly a Gallic rooster (coq gaulois) , the national symbol of France. A round garland of roses winds across the plinth.

The monument celebrates the integration of Menton within France, after a long period under Sardinian rule.

The monument was dedicated on March 5, 1896 , and originally stood in the middle of Place Saint-Roch. In 1903, it was moved to the Jardins Biovès , later moved again, and finally ended in 1975 in the current roundabout in the middle of the gardens.

After the fall of Napoleon (1815), the French Riviera was largely redistributed during the Congress of Vienna . Menton and Roquebrune were returned to the House of Savoy , which then ruled the Kingdom of Sardinia (including Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia). This period lasted from 1815 to 1848. In 1848, during the liberal uprisings in Europe, Menton also revolted. The bourgeoisie declared itself a "free city" under the protection of the Principality of Monaco , with the support of France. The impetus was partly economic (high taxes on the Sardinian lemon trade) and partly political (liberal ideas gained ground).

Menton and Roquebrune were officially "Free Cities under Monegasque Protectorate" between 1848 and 1860 – but in fact under French influence . This semi-independence lasted until the referendum of 1860/61 , in which the population voted to join France. In 1861 , Menton officially became part of France after a plebiscite . Napoleon III had previously made a deal with the Savoyards (Treaty of Turin, 1860), whereby Savoy and Nice became part of France in exchange for French support for Italian unification.

During WWII, the rooster's head was destroyed by the occupying forces; the population secretly restored the head after the war.

Willem Vandenameele