Atlas Obscura - Latest • Feb. 2, 2026, 9:15 p.m.

Directly where the Rhine meets the Moselle, The Thumb rises with quiet confidence near the Ludwig Museum, transforming the tranquil sculpture garden into a moment of playful awe. Created by César Baldaccini, the monumental form is among the most celebrated versions of his original Le Pouce in Paris—an outsized gesture drawn from something deeply personal.

Cast from the artist’s own thumb and installed here in the early 1990s, the sculpture balances intimacy with grandeur, inviting visitors to reflect on scale, identity, and the enduring wit of Nouveau Réalisme amid one of Germany’s most storied landscapes.

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