My Grand European History/Battle Tour

Radio silence for the last few weeks as I travelled across Europe in the van, I was meeting my son in Vienna with my plan to see as much interesting history as I could as I travelled out and back. Not surprisingly with freedom to roam I picked up a lot of history, in fact by the end my head was pretty much ‘blown’ ! I did do some other stuff along the way but this rather long photomontage gives the highlights of the History stuff.

Quatre Bras the Gemioncourt Farm

Tomb of Ottomonde just outside Ramillies

La Haute Censee Farm in Ramillies

Amphitheatre in Trier

Porta Nigra in Trier

Igel Column 250AD south of Trier

Blindheim village in the distance looking from the west

Schwenninbach Church where Prince Eugene’s Cavalry formed up in 1704

Höchstädt Castle

Schellenberg Hill up which Marlboroughs grenadiers attacked

Dachau concentration camp

The very small museum at Aspern outside Vienna

Napoleons HQ position for Wagram

The plaque marks the unfortunate friendly fire incident involving the Saxon troops at Wagram 

Austerlitz

From Santon hill the flat ground where Lannes and Murats cavalry fought

The fort in Brno scene of the 1645 siege

A wonderful view of Brno looking out towards Austerlitz

The Schonbrunn Palace, Habsburg opulence in Vienna

View from the top of the Gloriette the green hills in the distance are where the Polish cavalry formed up in  1683.

St Stephen’s church Vienna sporting a snazzy roof and some Ottoman cannnon balls

One (possibly the only) remaining part of the old Vienna defensive wall

One of the remaining German flak towers in Vienna

Massive Russian memorial to soldiers lost taking Vienna WW2

The Car in which the archduke was assassinated sparking WW1, we need to return to Vienna sometime as parts of the Military museum were closed off for refurbishment 

Another flak tower in the Augarten

And another, Augarten is the oldest park in Vienna but nobody really knows what to do with the flak towers I guess one day in the future they will become dangerous and be removed ?

The Hofburg seat of the Habsburg dynasty started in 1300 but added to a lot over the years

The exceptional collection of Imperial armour in Vienna

The Austrian memorial at the battlefield of Kolin

The church in Krzeczhorz scene of fierce fighting at Kolin

The Battlefield at Lobositz from the top of the Lobosch volcano (it was a hot day and an uphill walk)

Hochkirch church with more cannon balls embedded in the walls

Close by Blutgasse (Blood street) in Hochkirch

Dresden War museum

The Black Duke of Brunswick’s uniform and kit he was killed at Quatre Bras

Lützen bones from the fairly recently excavated mass grave form the battlefield in the museum there together with a few of the musket balls recovered from the field

Lutzen battlefield the museum in the background the road to Leipzig runs along in the distance

The small but excellent Museum at Jena

Jena from Napoleons initial HQ the flat slightly raised ground behind in the middle distance is the Dornburg

The reconstructed windmill at Jena

The centre of Krippendorf

The coach house at Auerstedt where injured were treated

Auerstedt battlefield from the Prussian lines way in the distance, the Red roof behind me is the village of Gernstedt

Virus Museum in the Teutoburg forest

Reconstructed Germanic defences on what is now believed to be one of the key parts of the Battlefield, generally it is now thought the battle was over 2 or 3 days and quite spread out 

Reconstructed Roman fort at Aliso on the Lippe River an excellent Museum where there is strong evidence that the Ambushed legion stayed before marching NE

Glider memorial at Wolfheze for the ill fated Arnhem battles

Breendonk WW1 fort south of Brussels, now preserved due to its infamous use by the Nazis as a prison camp during their occupation of Belgium.

Yes I did cover quite a lot of ground, the weather was great as was the scenery and the food. Hopefully my trip might just inspire somebody else to take the time to visit some of these locations I’d be more than happy to provide more details.

We are already planning next year and some more adventures along the way.

Hopefully when I have settled back home I will get some gaming and painting done

Thanks for taking the time to check in

Matt ❤️