Charles de Gaulle Sculpture and Bridge Visitors may wonder at the statue of a young Charles de Gaulle standing at the foot of a bridge that bears his name. The connection is tenuous but Dinant still celebrates the association. Lt. Charles de Gaulle, the future President of the Republic, was shot in the leg during a major battle in Dinant on August 15th, 1914. In commemoration the statue was erected on August 15th, 2014 as part of the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I (or the Great War as it was then called). The bridge was destroyed in both wars and rebuilt. Today it is lined with stylistic saxophones created in the spirit of the nations of the European Union as part of the town’s tribute to Adolphe Sax.