April 24: Field trip to Austerlitz

Monument dedicated to Napoleon

After class that afternoon our group took a bus to Austerlitz, which is close to Brno. It was here that Napoleon defeated the Russian and Austrian armies in the Battle of Austerlitz. The battle took place on December 2, 1805. Napoleon was outnumbered but he managed to outsmart the Russo- Austrian army. We visited the hill where Napoleon stood and watched the his troops fight.

Napoleon's view of the battlefield

 Then we went to a nearby museum. I was impressed by the museum's recollection of the battle. There were only a few rooms in the museum, but each had a movie and great sound effects. I enjoyed watching the battle unfold and how Napoleon separated and defeated the other army. Also at the museum was a monument dedicated to the nearly 30,000 troops that died. Inside the monument was a grave and altar honoring those who died. It was a short afternoon trip, but a very interesting one.