We are preparing for the 220th anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805), the Battle of the Three Emperors – Austerlitz 2025, which will take place from November 28 to 30. Compared to previous years, which attracted around 1,000 enthusiasts from all over Europe, we expect 1,500 participants from 15 countries around the world, 100 horses, 20 cannons, and a program including a commemorative event in Kučerov (November 26), fires on the Žuráň Hill (November 28), a reenactment of the Battle of Austerlitz on the battlefield below Santon near Tvarožná (November 29), and a memorial ceremony at the Peace Monument near Prace (November 30). The event is being organized as part of the Austerlitz Project by the Central European Napoleonic Society, the municipalities of Tvarožná and Prace, and Austerlitz z.s. The event is being produced by AusterlitzPro s.r.o.

The battlefield area below Santon will be significantly expanded. In normal years, it covers approximately 200 x 250 m, but this year it will be 250 x 400 meters.

The Austerlitz 2025 event is Mark Schneider’s last appearance in the role of Napoleon. Mark began his “imperial career” on the European continent in 2005 with events at Waterloo and Slavkov (200th anniversary of Austerlitz 2005), and over the next two decades he participated in all major programs throughout Europe. He was a regular guest at the Austerlitz events. He is leaving the role voluntarily and at the height of his powers, at a time when he is still able to portray Napoleon in a way that is not a caricature. The Austerlitz 2025 event will also mark 35 years since Miroslav Jandora, president of the Austerlitz Project and main organizer of the commemorative events for the Battle of the Three Emperors, organized the first commemorative events at Austerlitz.

As the main program, the reconstruction of the battle at Santon and the memorial ceremony at the Peace Monument, will take place on the weekend of November 29 and 30, and the actual anniversary day, December 2, 2025, falls on a Tuesday, this year’s program will be extended until Tuesday, when at 7:30 a.m. soldiers led by Napoleon will welcome the “real sun of Austerlitz” on Žuráň Hill, and then return once again to the Peace Monument to honor the fallen and the dead.

At Austerlitz, the Emperor of the French, Napoleon I, decided the campaign of 1805, the war of the third anti-French coalition, within a few hours. The defeated Tsar Alexander I and his army left Central Europe; the war between France and Russia continued until 1807 with the Battle of Friedland and the signing of the Peace of Tilsit. Emperor Francis I of Austria agreed to the terms of the armistice signed on 6 December at the Castle of Austerlitz and later to the hard terms of the peace of Pressburg on 26 December 1805. The harshness of the terms and Napoleon’s growing influence in Germany led after three years to an escalation of tensions between Austria and France, the War of 1809, which culminated again in South Moravia, near Znojmo. The Napoleonic epic continued with the campaign into Russia, the War of the Sixth Coalition in 1813-1814, culminating in the Battle of Waterloo.

The commemorations are not a celebration of Napoleon or his victories, and certainly not a celebration of the war or the battle. The international political and war events that profoundly affected Europe in their time, and divided it long afterwards, have in hindsight become a means of meeting and a common interest for many people from many countries. The aim of the events is to commemorate and promote knowledge of a common European history.

Programme

Wednesday, 26 November 2025

• 17:00 – 18:00 Kučerov – meeting with Napoleonic soldiers, battle on the village square and parade

Friday, 28 November 2025

• 17:30 Fires on the Žuráň hill, organised by the municipality of Podolí

Saturday, 29 November 2025

• 07:30 Žuráň, Sun of Austerlitz, parade of the French units
• 09:00 Tvarožná, line-up of the coalition army
• 10:30 – 12:00 Santon, battlefield – infantry and cavalry manoeuvres
• 14:00-15:30 Re-enactment of the Battle of the Three Emperors – Tvarožná

Sunday, 30 November 2025

• 12:00 Act of piety at the Peace Monument

Program subject to change.

Admission to Saturday’s battle reenactment is free, with the exception of the tribune, which can be purchased through Ticketstream.