Leipzig
The Battlefield of Leipzig
From 16 to 19 October 1813, the largest battle in Europe before the First World War was fought on the fields around Leipzig, where a coalition of Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Swedish forces broke Napoleon's power in Germany.
From the source
Leipzig (Duitsland), toneel van de Volkerenslag van oktober 1813, de grootste veldslag van de Napoleontische oorlogen vóór de 20e eeuw.
Editorial reading
Known in German as the Voelkerschlacht, or Battle of the Nations, the fighting around Leipzig involved more than half a million soldiers and ended in a decisive defeat for Napoleon, forcing the French army to retreat across the Rhine. A century later, on 18 October 1913, the city inaugurated the Voelkerschlachtdenkmal, a 91-metre monument designed by the architects Bruno Schmitz and Clemens Thieme, built to mark the battle's centenary. It remains one of the largest monuments in Europe and dominates the southeastern skyline of Leipzig.
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The Voelkerschlachtdenkmal offers both a dramatic monument in its own right and, from its viewing platform, a wide view over the terrain where the battle unfolded, making it a natural starting point for understanding the scale of the fighting.