Waterloo’s most arresting sight is a steep, grassy cone topped by a massive bronze lion. It commemorates, incredibly, not victory nor the glorious dead but Prince William of Orange, wounded on this spot while co-commanding Allied troops. Building the mound took two years: women carted up soil in baskets. Climb 225 steps and survey the battlefield’s deceptively minor undulations that so fooled Napoleon’s infantry. Admission is included with entrance to Memorial 1815, through whose visitor centre the hill is accessed.
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11.53 MILES
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Nearby Wallonia attractions
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Included in admission to the Memorial 1815 visitor centre is the charmingly old-fashioned 1912 Panorama de la Bataille, a circular action-packed painting…
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3. Ferme Brasserie Mont-Saint-Jean
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This fortified farmhouse was transformed into Wellington's field hospital during the 1815 battle, and was used to treat some 7000 men. A thought-provoking…
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This classic fortified farm is around 20 minutes’ walk southwest of the Butte du Lion. Had Napoleon broken through here early in the battle, everything…
5. Dernier Quartier Général de Napoléon
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The farmhouse complex where Napoleon breakfasted the morning of the battle now forms a small museum, accessible on the combined Memorial 1815 ticket. It’s…
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