War memorial

The war memorial, located in the main square of the town, is made up of a bronze statue, an allegory of the Fatherland, with a dying soldier at his feet. The names of the fallen are engraved on the limestone base and on the back of the stone.

 

The construction of the monument was possible thanks to the commitment of the "Pro Monumento ai Caduti" Committee set up in Lonato in 1919, which raised funds and organized a lottery, which took place on February 26, 1922.

The Honorary President of the Committee, Senator Ugo Da Como, actively participated in the construction of the monument, involving important personalities in the initiative.

 

As a place for the monument, also thanks to the intervention of the sculptor Luigi Contratti, the square was chosen and therefore, the Municipality of Lonato arranged it in order to house the monument.

 

The bronze for the construction of the monument, that is 15 quintals of war remains in terms of artillery and machinery, was sent to a Turin foundry.

 

The sculptor in charge of the project since 1921, Luigi Contratti, worked on the model of the sculptural group but was interrupted in September 1923 due to serious health problems. After his death, the sculpture was completed by one of his collaborators, designated by the sculptor himself. The inauguration was on October 19, 1924.

 

In 1940, due to the request by the State for bronze monuments to recover material to be melted for the Second World War, even the war memorial of Lonato was in danger of being lost. Fortunately, in 1943 the requisitions of the monuments in the Brescia area were interrupted and, like many others in the province, he was saved from the merger.