Stroll through Strasbourg Place de l'Homme de Fer

The Mysterious Iron Man

It is the year 1740 at number 2 of Place de l'Homme de Fer, which is inhabited by a harquebusier (sniper) named François Hilbert. For his shop ,an armoury, he decides to put a life-size statue of Knight in armour from the end of the 16th century as an advertising sign.
This was probably a real marketing coup for this shop owner at the time, because the statue has been standing there for all these years now. Few of today's major brands can boast a logo or sign as old as that of this small shopkeeper.

The current statue is a copy, but the original can still be seen in the Historical Museum of Strasbourg.