Monument to the Battle of the Nations
In the city of Leipzig there is an interesting monument dedicated to the battle of 1813, which took place near the city. This is the Monument to the Battle of Nations, they called it so because the Austrians, Russians, Germans and Swedes clashed with the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. As a result, his army was defeated. An interesting fact is that before the outbreak of the First World War, this battle was considered the greatest in history.
Facts about the monument:
- 120,000 m3 of concrete was used in the construction of the monument.
- About six million gold marks were spent on the sculpture.
- Weight: 300,000 tons
- Height: 91 meters
- It is located in the very center of the battlefield.
The foundation was laid back in 1898, and in 1913 its grand opening took place, precisely in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Nations. As you have already learned, it cost 6 million gold marks, but it is no less surprising that the monument was built at the expense of a specially organized lottery and donations.
For tourists: everyone who dreamed of getting to the observation platform should know that they will have to climb 500 steps. You can also get to the Monument of the Battle of Nations by elevator.
When you are inside the hall, you can see that the "Hall of Fame" is located there. It is also interesting that there, on the ceiling, 324 horsemen are depicted, which look very realistic, because almost the entire height is shown. The large-scale hall has four more statues, which mean: courage, strength of faith, national power and selflessness.
If you have seen the photo or visited the monument in person, you might have noticed a large stone not far from it. This is the stone of Napoleon, it was he who left it.
The Monument to the Battle of Nations is considered one of the highest monuments in Europe. At the main entrance there is a statue of the Archangel Michael, the patron of the German troops, and above his head there is an inscription, which in translation means "God is with us." During the reign of Hitler, the Nazis marched through the territory, so the authorities did not want to reconstruct the monument for a long time. In another hall, you can touch history in more detail, there are Nazi clothes, flags and small miniatures in the form of military figures. It was during this grandiose battle that the glory of Napoleon ended.
