Press release 2010

The battle of Austerlitz 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 historical events relative to the napoleonic period are commemorated within the Project Austerlitz since 1998; this year we prepare, with financial support of the Czech Tourist Authority and the South Moravian Region, the commemorative event of Austerlitz 2010 for the 4th and 5th december. The event will be, due to the important anniversary and high interest among the re-enactors and the public, larger than in the previous years.

The event will be introduced by military marches of the historical re-enactment groups following the trace of the 4th coalition column from Olomouc to Austerlitz from november and december 1805.

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 between the french marshals Murat and Lannes and the coalition generals Bagration and Liechtenstein. Frank Samson from France will be Napleon of the Austerlitz 2010 event, he has portrayed the french Emperor at the 195th anniversary of Waterloo or at the 197th anniversary of Leipzig this year. Our traditional battlefield under the Santon hill will be enlarged and will be almost double in size.

The planned number of participants of the event of Austerlitz 2010 is 1200; 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, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Russia, Malta, Bielorussia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary and Great Britain. The event is organized by the members of the Project Austerlitz, including the town of  Slavkov u Brna (Austerlitz) and with wide cooperation with the other communes of the Austerlitz battlefield, and the Central European Napoleonic Society.

The napoleonic epopee attracts an extraordinary attention of many people from all around the world and the year 2010 will be again full of interesting events. The event of Austerlitz 2010 is going to the last event of the year that will be marked by anniversaries of Marengo or Waterloo. timberland femme Austerlitz 2010 may become a dignified finale of the year.

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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 thanks to the support we have from our sponsors and mainly from the Czech Tourist Authority and the South Moravian region.

Information about the transport

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.