Golden lady makes her debut

Luxembourg's national art treasure, the Glle Fra statue of a golden lady, is unveiled in front of the Luxembourg Pavilion on Wednesday in the Expo Garden. [Gao Erqiang]

SHANGHAI - Luxembourg's national art treasure, the glistening Glle Fra statue of a golden lady, was unveiled in front of the Luxembourg pavilion in the Expo Garden on Wednesday.

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After traveling 9,755 km from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Shanghai for the first time, the Glle Fra, a gilded bronze statue of a woman holding out a laurel wreath, was installed on a 3-meter-high steel pillar where she will welcome visitors to the pavilion during the Expo.

The Glle Fra was created in 1923 by the renowned Luxembourg artist Claus Cito as a war memorial in honor of the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered in the armed forces of the Allied powers during World War I.

Since then, the statue has remained as a cherished national monument that symbolizes peace as well as national sovereignty.

During World War II, Glle Fra was torn down and partly destroyed by the Nazis during their occupation of Luxembourg. After the war, the remains of the statue were misplaced and did not resurface until 1981.

In 1985, following its restoration, the statue was reinstalled in Constitution Square in the city of Luxembourg.

The presence of the Glle Fra at the Expo symbolizes the importance of peace as a fundamental prerequisite for the development of a harmonious society. It is therefore wholly befitting the 2010 Expo, whose theme is "Better City, Better Life".