A visit to Austerlitz battlefield – site of Napoleon’s most famous victory

• Early on the foggy morning of 2 December 1805, Napoleon stood on the low hill of Žuráň, 10 km to the southeast of Brno, and surveyed the terrain of the coming battle. His French troops were outnumbered by the opposing allied army of Austria and Russia. The enemy had more than twice the number of canons. Yet this was perfect terrain for Napoleon’s disciplined and battle hardened soldiers.
• The fog obscured key French troop movements. The critical central area around the village of Prace and the nearby hill of Pracký kopec, initially controlled by the allied forces, became the key battleground. After fierce fighting, the French took control of the hill top and Napoleon was able to divert forces from the center to crush the allied flanks. More than a third of the allied army of nearly 90000 men were killed or wounded in the subsequent rout.
• The defeat of the combined Austrian and Russian forces near the village of Austerlitz (today named Slavkov) is viewed as Napoleon’s greatest victory, and changed the political map of Europe. It was a damaging and embarrassing defeat for Austrian Emperor Franz and Russian Tsar Alexander I, both of whom were in Austerlitz on the eve of the battle. Napoleon celebrated his victory by staying at the chateau in Austerlitz , vacated by the defeated Austrian and Russian rulers.
• Today, the celebrated battlefield is dominated by the memorial on the Pracký kopec hilltop. A multimedia museum is located on the hill. Although the battlefield is not traditionally an area for hiking – visits to the different villages involved in the battle is easier by bike, or car – a short 1.5 km walk from the village of Prace to the memorial is still a nice introduction to the area. Prace was completely devastated during the battle. Out of 50 houses in the village, only 3 remained standing after the battle.
• Other good locations for a short stroll in the battlefield area include the village of Sokolnice – which saw fierce fighting on the French right flank and the town of Slavkov, dominated by its impressive Baroque chateau, which hosted the ‘Three Emperors’ before and after the battle. The chateau has an extensive English park, which is partly used as a beginners golf area.
• The discovery trail – best done by bike – has 29 different stopping points with information boards detailing the events relating to the battle at that site. There are many good refreshment spots in the area, including excellent cafés on the main street in Slavkov and the old brewery in Sokolnice, which was recently reconstructed and has a good restaurant.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

• If travelling by public transport, take the bus from Brno, Úzká to Prace, náves
• In Prace, join the YELLOW hiking trail and follow this in the direction of Mohyla Míru
• After 1.5 km reach the memorial and museum. Return back along the same route