Jena (dpa/th) - In 1806 the Prussian-French double battle of Jena and Auerstedt took place - 216 years later the historic event is commemorated on one of the original sites. At Cospeda, Closewitz and Lützeroda, members of international military history associations will re-enact the battle that took place outside the gates of Jena on Saturday (3:00 p.m.). A historical bivouac is set up in the nearby Vierzehnheiligen, and a special exhibition about the events of that time can be seen in the Lützeroda club house. The show battle was actually planned for the 215th anniversary last fall, but the corona pandemic thwarted the plans.
On October 14, 1806, the French troops led by Emperor Napoleon had crushed parts of the Prussian army near Jena. At the same time, the main Prussian army was defeated by the French in Auerstedt, 25 kilometers away. According to the Jena Working Group, more than 200,000 soldiers faced each other on the battlefields in 1806, and tens of thousands lost their lives. The result of the double battle changed the map of Europe, and in the years that followed the states were reorganized according to Napoleon's will.
