Soldat Lacroix, Bronze statue of a legendary soldier in Saarlouis, Germany.

The bronze statue stands at the bridge to Vauban Island and depicts a French soldier in military dress from 1815. Sculptor Viktor Fontaine created the figure in 1973, and it now marks a notable spot in the town's geography.

The legend dates to the 1815 Paris Peace, which set 1 December as the date for the French to evacuate the fortress of Saarlouis. When the Prussians inspected the works, they found one French soldier still on guard at his post, forgotten by his superiors. The fortress work he guarded is said to have been the Contregarde Vauban, a demi-lune in the moats opposite the German Gate.

The bronze figure by sculptor Viktor Fontaine, set up in 1973, is shown with a crescent moon, or sitting on one, a pun on the French demi-lune (half-moon) outwork he guarded and on his legendary sleepiness. The moon reference keeps the nickname alive in local memory.

The bronze figure stands on Vauban Island, at the end of the bridge leading from the town side onto the island, opposite the Deutsches Tor gate. Visitors reach it on foot from the old town; the island lies in the millpond of the dammed Saar.

The legend ties Lacroix to the Contregarde Vauban, a demi-lune in the moats of the dammed Saar facing the Deutsches Tor. Because of his supposed drowsiness he is shown with a crescent moon, sometimes sitting on one. The bronze by Viktor Fontaine was set up in 1973 on Vauban Island by the bridge.