Statue of Freddie Mercury, Bronze memorial statue at Market Square in Montreux, Switzerland.
The Statue of Freddie Mercury is a three-metre bronze figure by Czech sculptor Irena Sedlecká, placed at the end of Place du Marché on the Quai de la Rouvenaz, by Lake Geneva. Mercury stands with his right arm raised and his left hand gripping a slender microphone stand angled to the ground, wearing a tight jacket open over a bare chest with a belt, and tight trousers. The pose reproduces his look at the opening of the 1986 Wembley concert.
The idea came from the Official International Queen Fan Club, which proposed it to manager Jim Beach; judged impractical for London, it was placed in Montreux, where the band recorded at Mountain Studios. Commissioned by the remaining Queen members and Mercury's family, the bronze was made by Irena Sedlecká in 1996 and unveiled on 25 November 1996 before Bomi and Jer Bulsara, Kashmira, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Montserrat Caballé. It was later moved about 50 metres and set on a pedestal to limit deterioration.
Since 2003 the first weekend of September brings the Freddie Mercury Montreux Memorial Day, when fans gather at the statue to pay tribute. A small copy of the sculpture appeared on the cover of Queen's album Made in Heaven, released on 7 November 1995, then placed near the Duck House, Mercury's Montreux residence.
The statue stands at the end of Place du Marché on the Quai de la Rouvenaz, on the Lake Geneva shore, and was moved about 50 metres from its original spot and set on a pedestal to limit deterioration. It is an outdoor public monument, so it can be visited at any hour.
A small copy of the statue appeared on the cover of Queen's album Made in Heaven, released on 7 November 1995, when it stood near the Duck House, Mercury's residence in Montreux. The full-size bronze was moved about 50 metres from its original spot and set on a pedestal to limit weathering.
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