Napoleon's Balcony at Slavkov Castle
From where the Emperor made his victory speech
Take a look at the castle balcony. It was from here that Napoleon spoke to his soldiers after the victorious battle. The night before the battle, the Austrian Emperor Francis I and the Russian Tsar Alexander I had a ball here. Pride comes before a fall, as they say.
It's true. At the end of 1805, all three emperors spent the night in Slavkov Castle of Count of Kounice! The Allies - Emperor Franz I of Austria and Tsar Alexander I of Russia - held a ball here on the eve of the battle and did not doubt the advantage of their numerical superiority... And Napoleon? He spent the night here after the battle. He didn't celebrate, he didn't ball. He was preparing his famous declaration, the text of which is in Paris on the Arc de Triomphe. And just as Napoleon spoke to his soldiers after the victorious battle, you can shout "What a great man!" from this balcony. (And big he was, for he was about 5'7", and that was rather above average by the standards of the day - forget once and for all the rumor that Napoleon was tiny.)
The tour of the magnificent historical halls also has a version for children. We definitely recommend a stroll through the gorgeous park with its newly restored statues, too. Want it more action-packed? Download a playing card and play a game of Stories Carved in Stone in the gardens. Or come to the December commemorative events with a reenactment of the historical events associated with the Battle of Austerlitz.
