1813 – At the Battlefield near Leipzig

22 August 2013 to 23 March 2014

The Battle of Leipzig ended on 19 October 1813 not only with the victory of the allied forces of Austria, Prussia, Russia and Sweden over Napoleon. With far more than 500,000 soldiers and over 90,000 dead and wounded, it was also one of the biggest and bloodiest battles in European history. The 200th anniversary of this “Battle of Nations” provides the occasion to shed light on various aspects of this important European conflict by means of the painting “Declaration of Allied Victory after the Battle of Leipzig” by Johann Peter Krafft. The exhibition focuses on the event and the persons depicted: Who were the protagonists? Who fought against whom? Why the military confrontation often is called the Battle of Nations? Who were the soldiers fighting in the conflict and why did they take part in it? What kinds of armaments were used and were they decisive for the outcome?

The historical context round about the Napoleonic Wars and Wars of Independence will be explored, no less so than the culture of remembrance, which draws on both patriotic and nationalistic feelings. With a view to the consequences the exhibition examines the immediate and long-term ramifications for Germany and Europe, which can be summarized in the events surrounding the Congress of Vienna, the redrawing of the territorial map, the disappointed hopes for national unity and the Age of Restoration.

Individual scenes from the painting will be enlarged photomechanically and displayed next to each other in the exhibition room so that viewers can pass by them as if in a "walkable" paper theatre.