Monument to the Battle of the Nations

Monument to the Battle of Nations

Völkerschlachtdenkmal
The monument at night in 2015
51°18′44″N 12°24′47″E / 51.31222°N 12.41306°E / 51.31222; 12.41306
Location	Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
Designer	Bruno Schmitz
Material	Granite-faced concrete
Length	80 metres (260 ft)
Width	70 metres (230 ft)
Height	91 metres (299 ft)
Beginning date	18 October 1898
Opening date	18 October 1913
Dedicated to	Battle of Leipzig

The Monument to the Battle of the Nations (German: Völkerschlachtdenkmal, sometimes shortened to Völki^[1] or Schlachti^{[citation needed]}) is a monument in Leipzig, Germany, to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations. Paid for mostly by donations and the city of Leipzig, it was completed in 1913 for the 100th anniversary of the battle at a cost of six million goldmarks.

The monument commemorates the defeat of Napoleon's French army at Leipzig, a crucial step towards the end of hostilities in the War of the Sixth Coalition. The coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden were led by Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg. There were Germans fighting on both sides, as Napoleon's troops also included conscripted Germans from the left bank of the Rhine annexed by France, as well as troops from his German allies of the Confederation of the Rhine.

The structure is 91 metres (299 ft) tall. It contains over 500 steps to a viewing platform at the top, from which there are views across the city and environs. The structure makes extensive use of concrete, and the facings are of granite. It is widely regarded as one of the best examples of Wilhelmine architecture. The monument is said to stand on the spot of some of the bloodiest fighting, from where Napoleon ordered the retreat of his army.^[2] It was also the scene of fighting in World War II, when Nazi forces in Leipzig made their last stand against U.S. troops.