A man with two arms stretched towards the sky. This is the statue "L'Envol", inaugurated on 17 July 1920 at the Jacobins, near Le Mans cathedral.
The monument was erected in honour of Wilbur Wright. Between August 1908 and January 1909, the American pioneer made numerous historic and record-breaking flights over the Hunaudières racecourse and Champagné in his canvas and wood Flyer. The industrialist and inventor Léon Bollée was the driving force behind his visit.
Relocated in 2012, L'Envol now stands on the Pont de Fer, opposite Ile aux Planches. The Manche statue is the little sister of Christ the Redeemer, which dominates Rio de Janeiro, since they share the same father: the sculptor Paul Landowski. L'Envol is not, in fact, its original name: it was the former mayor Jean-Claude Boulard who gave it this name.