Löwenstatue vor der Residenz

The bronze lion stands guard in front of the Residenz, one of four identical beasts cast in eighteen thirty-four. Locals often stop to rub the shield held by the lion, as a long-standing tradition promises that this gesture brings good luck. King Ludwig the First commissioned these statues to flank the palace gates. While the lions remain, the original metal surfaces were worn smooth by generations of hands, leaving the bronze polished and bright against the dark stone of the Residenz wall.