Zprávy památkové péče 2014, 74(6):435-446

Associative and organically developed landscape of the Battle of Hradec Králové battlefield

Božena Pacáková-Hošťálková

The territory of the Battle of Hradec Králové on 3 July 1866 (Battle of Königgrätz) is a heritage zone as declared by Ministry of Culture as per Decree No. 208/1996 Coll. on the establishment of selected parts of regional aggregates as heritage zones. Based on the World Heritage Committee's definition of three basic categories of a cultural landscape, the area is classed in the category of associative and continuously organically developed landscapes. The method of farming typical for the Czech environment, permanently focused on agriculture and a settlement character, played an important role in the organic development of the territory. The battle entered into an organic development of the area during the era of extensive reforms associated with securing properties and village independence after the abolition of serfdom in 1848.
The Battle of Hradec Králové was the culmination of the Austro-Prussian War, in which the North Austrian and the allied Saxon Armies fought for Austria. The Czech lands were also part of Austria at the time. The operational space of the allied armies was divided into a center and two wings. In the morning on the day of battle, only the Third Prussian Army, called the Army of the Elbe, and the First Army were evidently to advance against Austria. The Second Prussian Army waited near the court of Králové nad Labem and advanced to the battlefield at around noon. Conditions for its penetration into the center of the battlefield had been set up during the morning by units from the First Prussian Army which had entered into the Svíb woods (Swiepwald) and Čistěves, and by disconnecting the right Austrian military wing managed to disrupt the compactness of the Austrian northern defense area.
The Austrian army central units were not engaged into battle in the Svíb woods due to the expected primary pressure of the First Prussian Army from the direction of Sadová and Holá forest, which it managed to face with the assistance of a sophisticated artillery barrier. A similarly sophisticated artillery defense in the northern operating strength was not assembled. In addition, the units of the right wing were sent to fight in the Svíb woods from the northern defense section which included the forward line and the main operating band, without being replaced from reserves. The units of the First Guard Division of the Second Prussian Army occupied the village of Chlum. The Austrian Army center was thus exposed not only to Prussian pressure from the front but also from the side, and had to retreat. Efforts to reverse the conquest of Chlum ended in an Austrian debacle. The space for the retreating Austro-Saxon Corps was fought for by equestrian regiments and the retreat was covered by artillery until the night hours.
There are 460 memorial structures, monuments, battalion and regimental monuments, tombstone memorials, and mass grave crosses on the battlefield area. The associative effect of the battle monuments intensifies their locations at or near the sites of the actual battle clashes, specific mass or individual graves, and at village or military cemeteries. The tragic consequences of the battles in the Svíb woods, in Chlum, and in the space between Chlum and Rozběřice are remembered in the names Alley of the Dead, Battery of the Dead, and Ravine of the Dead.
The largest concentration of mass and individual graves and memorial structures are located in the center of the battlefield near Chlum, in the Svíb woods and its surroundings, in Máslojedy, Hořiněves, and Probluz. A memorial site with a monument to the equestrian clashes at Střezetice, considered one of the largest equestrian battles in history, is planned for modification on the 150th anniversary of the battle.
Following the battle, the Austrian monarchy became the dual state of Austria-Hungary. No Austro-Bohemian settlement or other constitutional changes occurred. The geopolitical order of Europe that resulted from the unification of Germany with the decisive influence of Prussia heralded the development of European history over the next eighty years, which is why it is presented in the context of the First and Second World Wars.
The battlefield area is pervaded with monuments to the battle on 3 July 1866. They are located in villages, along the roads, in the forests, and throughout fields. In an authentic environment that continued to organically develop, still develops today and is very diverse, they are a source of a very strong associative effect. The principles of heritage protection and care for such a complex territory can be defined within a qualified plan of heritage protection and care.

Keywords: heritage zone, associative landscape, organically developed landscape, battlefield, battalion and regimental monument, gravestone memorial, mass grave cross

Published: December 1, 2014  Show citation