Rodin’s memorial to the six burghers of Calais
is by far the most photographed monument in town.

In 1347 six burghers of Calais wearing ropes round their necks offered their lives
to King Edward III of England so that he might spare the survivors after the capture of the city.
The memory of their sacrifice enabled Rodin to realize over 10 years this work of art in 1885.
The statue was inaugurated in 1895 to pay tribute to those six local worthies who had given themselves as hostages.
This bronze statue weighing more than one ton and a half is a copy of the original preserved in the Rodin Museum in Paris.
The copy in Calais stands on a square facing the Town Hall.
In 2001 the monument was removed from its base in order
to be restored in the French Academy in Rome (Villa Medicis).
It has since been returned to its base opposite the Town Hall.