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Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo facts for kids

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Belgique - Brabant wallon - Panorama de la bataille de Waterloo - 03
The rotunda with the Lion Mound behind.

The Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo is a special round building in Belgium. It holds a giant painting that shows the famous Battle of Waterloo. This battle happened in 1815. The building is near the Lion's Mound on the actual battlefield. It's in a town called Braine-l'Alleud in Walloon Brabant.

The Building and the Painting

How the Building Looks

The round building, called a rotunda, was designed by an architect named Franz Van Ophem. He finished it in 1911. It is about 35 meters (115 feet) wide and 15 meters (49 feet) tall. The roof is shaped like a cone.

The outside walls are made of white brick. They have special decorations like arches and columns. The main entrance has two pairs of columns that hold up a triangular shape.

The Giant Painting

Inside the rotunda is a huge oil painting. A French artist named Louis Dumoulin finished it in 1912. This painting is made from 14 pieces of canvas sewn together. It forms a circle about 110 meters (360 feet) around and 12 meters (39 feet) tall.

Light comes from a ring of windows around the roof. You view the painting from a platform that is 5 meters (16 feet) high in the middle of the building.

The painting shows different moments from the Battle of Waterloo. It focuses on the French cavalry (soldiers on horseback) charging. There are also real objects in front of the painting. These include cut-out figures and fake bodies made of plaster. They help make the scene look even more real.

Protecting History

Both the building and the painting became protected historical monuments in 1998. In 2008, the Belgian government suggested that the panorama should be part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This would help protect it even more.

The Waterloo Panorama is one of the few original panoramas left. It is also still shown in its first location. Other large paintings of the Battle of Waterloo have been lost over time.

  • Waterloo panorama museum

    The rotunda as seen from the Lion's Mound.

  • Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo 02

    The entrance.

  • Belgium-6745C - Marshal Ney (14154954584)

    Painting detail: Marshal Ney of France leading a charge.

  • Belgium-6756 - Duke of Wellington - back right (14152047342)

    Painting detail: the Duke of Wellington and his staff (top right) sheltering from French cuirassiers in a square of Highland infantry.

See also

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