Austerlitz 2011
The 206th anniversary of the battle of Austerlitz will be commemorated during the weekend following the 2nd december 2011, or 11 frimaire an 220 according to the french revolutionary calendar. Austerlitz is one of the most important historical battles that took place in the actual territory of the Czech republic and belongs to the most important moments of the world military history.
The emperor of the French Napoleon I has decided within a few hours the outcome of the campaign of 1805 and the war of the 3rd coalition. The defeated russian emperor Alexander I and his army has left the central Europe; the war between France and Russia would however continue untill 1807, the battle of Friedland and the Tilsit peace treaty. The austrian emperor Francis I has accepted the conditions of armistice signed on the 6th december 1805 at the Austerlitz castle and later also the conditions of the severe Presburg peace treaty signed on the 26th december. The severity of these conditions and Napoleon’s rising influence in Germany have led in three years to another conflict between Austria and France, the war of 1809, culminating in Moravia again, by the battle of Znaim. The Napoleonic epopee continued by the russian campaign of 1812, the war of the 6th coalition in 1813-1814 and culminated by the battle of Waterloo.
The commemorative events are not any celebration of Napoleon or his victory, and by no means any celebration of war or battle. The international political and war events that, at their time, influenced Europe essentially, and divided it for a long time, are becoming ground for get-togetherness and common interest for many people from all around the world. The aim of the events is the commemoration and support of knowledge of the common european history.
The main points of program will be the saturday battle re-enactement under the Santon hill (14:00), the evening defile, parade and fireworks in Austerlitz (19:30) and the sunday act of piety at the Peace monument, the place of the most serious fights of the battle of Austerlitz (10:30).
The scenario of the battle re-enactment with commentary of historian and author of popular books consacred to the napoleonic wars Jiri Kovarik is inspired by the combat of the russian brigade Kamenski and the austrian brigade Jirczik against the french division Saint-Hilaire on the Pratzenberg. Mark Schneider from Virginia will be Napleon of the Austerlitz 2011 event, he has portrayed the french Emperor at Austerlitz in 2005, 2007 and 2008, and earned great reputation among the participants and the visitors.
The planned number of participants of the event of Austerlitz 2011 is 900; these will be members of european napoleonic re-enactment groups in uniforms of the armies of France, Austria, Russia and their allies, and they come from the Czech Republic and many other european countries. More than 50 horses and 20 cannons will also take part at the battle.
For the napoleonic re-enactment 2011 is a year of preparations, in the same way 1811 was the year of escalating conflict between France and Russia. The bicentenary of the russian campaign in 2012 will be, after the bicentenary of Austerlitz, Jena, or Znaim, another important event. Many participants of Austerlitz 2011, and Mark Schneider among them, are willing to visit the Borodino event next year.
The programs and detailed information on the event will be published at austerlitz.org; the Project Austerlitz offers the possibility of presentation of partners and sponsors. The events are organized by the Project Austerlitz every year since 1998. There are five to ten thousand visitors to the main battle re-enactement every year; in 2005, the bicentenary of Austerlitz with 3500 „soldiers” from 24 countries, about 30 thousand people have come. The event resounds widely in the media not only in the Czech republic, but in the whole Europe; with regard to the exigence and extent of this year’s project any potential partners or sponsors of the event are welcome.
The entrance will be free for the public for standing for the battle re-enactment under the Santon hill.
KORDIS, the organizer of public tranposrt in Southern Moravia, assures the following services.
Line 702 from Brno, Uzka (near the Tesco store) to the Rohlenka rest house (near the Santon hill). More buses will operate on this line on saturday from 10.30 till 13.30 in the direction from Brno, and from 15.30 till 17.30 in the direction from Rohlenka. The 702 line has the following stops: Brno, Úzká – Brno, Autobusové nádraží (jen ve směru z Brna) – Brno, Zvonařka (jen ve směru do Brna) – Brno, Tržní – Brno, Černovičky – Brno, Slatina, sídliště – Šlapanice, Bedřichovice, rozc.- Jiříkovice, motorest Rohlenka.