200 years Battle of the Nations

The Wars of Liberation against Napoleon's troops culminated in the Battle of the Nations at the gates of the city of Leipzig in the autumn of 1813. From October 16 to 19, allied troops of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden inflicted a decisive defeat on the French army and ended Napoleon's dominance over Europe. The political representatives of roughly 200 European states, corporations, dominions, and cities redefined the balance of power on the continent at the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815.

The Battle of the Nations near Leipzig, with up to 600,000 soldiers from more than a dozen nations involved, is remembered as the greatest battle in world history up to the beginning of the 20^th century.

On 18 October 1913, Kaiser Wilhelm II inaugurated the monument. With its viewing platform at a height of 91 metres (299 ft), it is one of the largest monuments in Europe. The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is the crowning masterpiece of the Berlin architect Bruno Schmitz, who had already previously designed the Kyffhäuser Monument and the Kaiser Wilhelm Monuments at Porta Westfalica and atop the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz.

The statues of the monument were sculpted by Christian Behrens (Reichstag in Berlin and Ratskeller in Leipzig, among others) and Franz Metzner (Weinhaus Rheingold Berlin). Including its grounds, the Monument to the Battle of the Nations covers an area of approximately 80,000 square metres. Today, it houses a visitor centre and a museum.

 
 pictures of our Week of Remembrance October 19:

Gewandhaus Leipzig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gewandhaus)

Uniriese / City-Hochhaus Leipzig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City-Hochhaus_Leipzig) and Paulinerkirche Leipzig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulinerkirche,_Leipzig)

Leipzig Opera (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oper_Leipzig)