Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany

· Germany Saxony Leipzig
Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 1Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 2Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 3Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 4Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 5Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 6Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 7Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 8Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 9Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 10Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 11Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal), Leipzig, Germany – Saxony – photo 12

From October 16-19, 1813, Leipzig was the site of the Battle of the Nations. The unified armed forces of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden prevailed in a decisive victory over Napoleon and his allies on German soil. In the end, 600,000 soldiers from over twenty countries took part in the battle, 100,000 were killed or wounded, and a typhus epidemic broke out in Leipzig, killing 10% of the population.

One year after the devastating battle, the poet Ernst Moritz Arndt had the idea of creating a memorial to honor the fallen. In 1894, Leipzig architect Clemens Thieme founded the German Patriot’s Association, with the goal of collecting donations for the memorial. By 1898, sufficient funds had been raised to lay the cornerstone. The monument was competed in 1913.

We enjoyed our tour of the monument and after walking up many stairs we had great views of Leipzig and the surrounding area.

 

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