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| States Lion | |
| Name | States Lion |
| Description | The lion featured in the coat of arms of the constituent nations of the Benelux. |
| Location | (-1337, -519) |
| Atlas ID | 5533 5533 redirect is missing (What does this mean?) |
| Creator | Belgium, PlaceNL, and Luxembourg |
The States Lion was a collaborative pixel art during r/place 2023 of the communities of Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg during r/place 2023. Together these countries form the Benelux, a politico-economic union. The countries have languages and history in common. In particular they formed one faction together in the Eighty Years' War.
The lion historically represents the Low Countries area as a whole, since each constituent nation possesses a coat of arms featuring the Leo Belgicus; a lion rampant facing left. During the 17th century the lion already symbolized the Low Lands.
r/place 2023
The States Lion pixel art was completed around 9:00 GMT on July 24th on partly the flag of The Netherlands, and partly on the Orange Pennant where it would remain until the end.
Coat of arms
The Leo Belgicus is featured on the coat of arms of each member nation of the Benelux union. The symbol originates from the Eighty Years' War (1566 – 1648), and it symbolized the Dutch Republic that fought for its independence. The Dutch Republic consisted of what is present-day Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
The symbol is also featured in the coat of arms of the house of Orange-Nassau, which William the Silent founded, and of which descendants belong to the royal family of The Netherlands, among whom are the current king and queen of The Netherlands: Willem-Alexander and Máxima.