The annual re-enactment of Napoleon’s famous battle at Austerlitz will take place in the village of Tvarožná on 30 November, one week after the ceremonial arrival of Napoleon and his retinue to Brno on 23 November. The event will take the visitors on a trip back over 200 years, and the anniversary will also be celebrated in the town of Slavkov (German: Austerlitz) with the traditional Christmas fair, the arrival of soldiers, and their parade through the city.
The reenactment refers to the famous battle from 1805, when Napoleon triumphantly defeated troops led by the Russian Tsar and the Austrian Emperor under the Santon hill. “Last year, the battlefield was covered in powder snow, and that immediately gave the battle reenactment an extraordinary atmosphere. We will see what the weather has in store for us this time. This year we are commemorating the 219th anniversary of the battle and we are already preparing for the big anniversary next year,” said Martina Grůzová, director of the South Moravian Tourism Office.
The spectacle will gather over 1,000 enthusiastic participants from 15 countries around the world, 60 horses, and 15 cannons, to meet in the frenzy of battle. The event starts near Tvarožná on Saturday at 2 pm.
At the same time, the commemorative event “Once Upon a Time in Austerlitz” will accompany the event throughout the whole weekend. Visitors will find a historical program, demonstrations of life in the former military camp, a parade of soldiers through Austerlitz, all against the backdrop of the traditional Christmas market. On Saturday evening there will be a closing ceremony with fireworks.
“The South Moravian Region has been dedicated to the Napoleonic theme for a long time; it is an integral part of our culture and history,” said František Lukl, Deputy Governor of the South Moravian Region for Culture and Tourism. “We support not only the events themselves, but also the promotion of places that present Napoleon’s activities in South Moravia year-round. One of them is the Cairn of Peace Memorial, where we are preparing a new exhibition.”
On 23 November, the parade of soldiers on horseback accompanied by drummers passed through Brno. As well as the formal ceremony of receiving the key of the city at the town hall, there was also a memorial service in Petrov Cathedral.
