The battle of Königgrätz 3. July 1866 and the celebration last weekend

With my friend Alfred I was on a great trip last weekend. We visited the 150 year anniversary of the decisive battle in the Austro-Prussian war. Well, I wouldn't call it Austro-Prussian as it was a little bit like North against South, all Germans were involved in it.

If you want to read about the war read the Wikipedia page.

In the last years I read a lot about this battle. But now with visiting the battlefield (and walking 12 hours over it with 30 degrees celsius and no water...) I understand it.  A lot has been written about the Prussian needle-gun and it's responsibility for the Prussian victory. But what we recognised on the field was a total chaotic Austrian leadership with a lot of senseless bayonett-attacks up the hill against entrenched enemy infantry. Or for example opening a gap in the own center for such an attack which the Prussians used to break through.

There are several museums in the area which we all visited. The reenactment was well done with hundreds of Prussian and Austrian soldiers as well as a good unit of Saxon light infantry. Most of the uniforms were extremly good.

Here the official trailer

Ok, enough written, here a bunch of photos. First from the museum on the battlefield. A nice little diorama with 54mm figures

Some of the uniforms - But all of them replicas

Austrian Artilleryman

Prussian Ulan

Prussian Fusilier

Saxon light infantryman

The better material for the historians was in the Town museum in Königgrätz. Lot of great original stuff

A Prussian infantry musician

Austrian Cuirassier officer

Austrian infantry

Austrian Cuirassier (Replica)



On the 2nd July we had the walk over the battlefield of which I will write in another post. Here now for the end some photos from the reenactment on the 3rd