Napoleon and Germany
The Jena and Leipzig Campaigns 1806 &1813
The theme of this tour is Napoleon and the Germans. We start with two days at Jena and Auerstadt, where in 1806 the Grand Armee shattered the supposedly invincible Prussian Army. At Jena Napoleon fought only a wing of the Prussian army while at Auerstadt Davout fought and defeated its main body. Davout was rewarded richly, though Napoleon took credit for the victory himself. With both Prussia and Austria defeated, Napoleon became the arbiter of German affairs. The Kingdoms of the ‘Rheinbund‘ provided sizeable contingents of German troops for Napoleon‘s disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, and even Austria and Prussia were forced into the role of reluctant and uncertain allies. By 1813, however, in what Germans call the ‘War of Liberation‘ they were combining with the Russians to destroy him. We will visit the battlefields of Lutzen and Bautzen where Napoleon showed flashes of the genius that seemed to have deserted him in Russia, and inflicted bloody defeats on the Allies. We finish with two days in the beautiful city of Leipzig, touring sites associated with the three-day ‘Battle of Nations‘ where – with his Saxon Allies abandoning him – Napoleon went down to defeat at the hands of the Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Swedish armies. For Napoleon this was the beginning of the end and French armies were soon re-crossing the Rhine with the Allies on their heels. For the Germans it was the beginning of the process whereby a united Germany would become the predominant power in Europe for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. This tour also features two luxurious 5-star hotels, the Taschenbergpalais in Dresden, and the Furstenhof in Leipzig. Guiding the tour will be our resident Napoleonic expert, Julian Spilsbury.
Day 1. Fly London to Berlin. We drive direct to Leipzig and check-in our hotel. the 5-star Hotel Furstenhof. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2. Breakfast. The Battle of Jena. We begin our tour with a visit to the museum at Cospeda, after which we get an overview from the Landgrafenberg. We then tour the battlefield, examining the fighting at Vierzehnheiligen, Cospeda, Closewitz and Rodingen. Return to hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3. Breakfast. Today, we follow the events at Auerstadt. After an overview from Davout’s vantage point at Hassenhausen, we tour the battlefield visiting the scene of the fighting at Hassenhausen itself and at Poppel, Gernstadt, Rehausen and the Eckartsberg Heights. Return to hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4. Breakfast. Today we switch our attention to the 1813 campaign by visiting battlefield of Lutzen, fought on 2 May. It was, of course, also the scene of the famous victory of the Swedish king, Gustavus Adolphus, in 1632. In the afternoon we drive to Dresden and check-in at the 5-star Hotel Tashcenbergpalais. Dinner and overnight.
Day 5. Breakfast. We visit the battlefields of Dresden, where not too much remains of the fighting areas, and Bautzen, and visit the superb Dresden Military Museum. Return to hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6. Breakfast. Today we return to Leipzig to explore the great battlefield which witnessed the defeat of Napoleon in October 1813. Despite the growth of the city there is still much to explore, particularly around the main fighting areas to the south east. Check-in at the 5-star Hotel Furstenhof. Dinner and overnight.
Day 7. Breakfast. By way of a departure from the Napoleonic campaigns we visit the famous castle of Colditz, that lies to the south-east of Leipzig before returning to our hotel. Dinner and final overnight stay.
Day 8. Breakfast. Free time before our return to Berlin and our flight to London.
Departure dates 23-30 June 2007
Price £1600
Single supplement £200
Tour Package includes
• return air fare
• coach transport
• seven nights’ half-board accommodation
with seven 3-course dinners with wine,
seven buffet breakfasts
• all museum entry fees
• guide, Julian Spilsbury, plus tour manager
