The Lion’s Mound at Waterloo is reached by climbing 226 steps. The monumental earthwork was built after the battle on the battlefield ridge, with a cast-iron lion placed at its summit as a memorial to the Allied victory.
Construction began in 1823 under the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and was completed in 1826. The mound marks the location where the Prince of Orange, later King William II of the Netherlands, was wounded during the battle on 18 June 1815. Its elevated viewing platform offers a broad view across the former battlefield.
The mound itself was made from hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of earth taken from the surrounding terrain, altering parts of the original landscape. The lion was designed by Jean-Louis Van Geel and cast in sections at William Cockerill’s foundry. A common misconception says it was made from melted French cannon bronze; in fact, the statue is cast iron. The 226-step count refers to the staircase to the summit and overlook, not the mound’s height.