The rapid approach of the 200th anniversary of the legendary Battle of Austerlitz (Slavkov), has prompted the Muzeum Brněnska (www.muzeumbrnenska.cz) to establish a new permanent themed exhibition at the Mound of Peace memorial, located in the centre of the of the former Austerlitz battleground. The exhibition is entitled “The Battle of Three Emperors. Austerlitz 1805”. The entire exhibition will be completed in 2005, but its first two installations, entitled “Before the Battle” and “After the Battle” are ready for visitors.

The Peace Mound memorial, built in honour of Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Slavkov/Austerlitz (2 December 1805), is both the dominant and a natural centre of the protected area called “The Slavkov Battleground”. The first part of the new exhibition is entitled ”Before the Battleground”. The time span of the exhibition includes the period of the French Revolution, the international political situation of the late18th and early 19th centuries, but the primary focus is the 1805 military campaign, from its very beginning until the eve of the battle. The Empire-style interior of the exhibition, which evokes the atmosphere of the period, opens into a military tent (through which visitors will reach the “battlefield”, after seeing the following part of the exhibition”). Exhibits on display include the peace treaty between Austria and France, signed in 1801, the proclamation of Franz as the new Austrian Emperor, dating from August 1804, and the coalition treaty between Russia and Great Britain, signed in April 1805.

The end of November saw the public launch of the second part of the exhibition entitled “After the Battle“. The dominant element of this part is the spatial and audiovisual reconstruction of the famous painting portraying the meeting of the two emperors, Napoleon and Franz, after the Battle of Spálený mlýn, and the climax of the exhibition - a video-projection. In the next year, the exhibition will be celebrating a jubilee anniversary and will be complemented by the two remaining scenes – “The Battle“ and “About the Battle“. The plan for the future entails the construction of a new pavilion devoted to the “afterlife” of the Battle of Slavkov/ Austerlitz – responses and traditions.

“The Battle of Three Emperors”. Slavkov/Austerlitz 1805“ exhibition is not designed to a traditional format. It portrays the military campaign of 1805, climaxing in the Battle of Slavkov/ Austerlitz, not only as a historical event, but also as a living historical phenomenon. The exhibition aims to acquaint visitors with both the military feats and political glory of that particular period, and also with its dark side. After the exhibition is completed in 2005, it will have a distinctively interactive character, enabling visitors to choose the information they are interested in, using touch-screens and multimedia programmes.

The launch of the first two parts of the exhibition paves the way for the great commemorative celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Slavkov/Austerlitz (www.austerlitz2005.com), which will take place next year. Thousands of members of military history clubs have already registered for the event. The organisers expect approx. 100 000 visitors, including leading politicians from the participating countries, who would like to pay homage to the victims of one of the largest battles ever. The organisers are planning to re-enact many significant events that took place 200 years ago, such as the arrival of the Russian Tzar and the Austrian Emperor.