It will leave a big gap in the square of the main street of Amnéville. The statue of general de Gaulle, who was enthroned in a good place in this town located in the department of the Moselle, was auctioned for 68 000€, tells France Blue. The city of Amnéville has, however, tried to ensure that the work carried out by Claude Goutin, a sculptor from the region, remains in the municipality.
Read also De Gaulle, a leader aware of the be
The statue had never been moved since its inauguration in 1995 by Alain Juppé, then minister of foreign Affairs. Until the day when the association of the tourist office of Amnéville has filed for bankruptcy. To fill the gaps of the structure, the artwork has been put up for auction Thursday, July 9. With a starting price of 5,000 euros, the mayor of the town had set itself the target of winning the auction.
The mayor of Metz was committed to buy the statue
But the fate has decided otherwise. A duel took place between the municipality and a man whose identity has not been revealed. After multiple raises of the two camps, it is ultimately the anonymous buyer who is awarded the statue for 68 000 euros. He will even have to pay more than 80 000 euros with the different commissions.
also Read De Gaulle : an example in the crisis ?
The disappointment is of size for the commune. All the more that the mayor of Metz, located about twenty kilometers from Amnéville, was committed during the campaign of the municipal to put the money on the table to buy the statue, if ever the commune was not able to win the auction. But the crisis of the coronavirus is passed through it, and François Grosdidier (LR) was ultimately not acted upon its promise. The city of Amnéville does not sit idly by and leave a blank in the streets of the town. A contest will soon be launched to replace the statue that will be permanently removed in September.
