Radetzky Memorial
About Radetzky
Field Marshal Josef Count Radetzky was born in Bohemia on 2nd November 1766 and served an incredible 72 years in the royal imperial army. Aside from Prince Eugene, Radetzky was the most popular general in Austria. He came from a Bohemian noble family. His father and grandfather before him were imperial officers. Radetzky married the Countess Strassoldi-Grafenberg and died on 5th January 1858 at the age of 92.
History
Josef Gottfried Pargfrieder, Lord of Castle Wetzdorf and friend of Generals Radetzky and Wimpffen, commissioned this huge memorial to be built in honour of the royal imperial army in 1848. It is well worth a visit. This pantheon was modelled on the Walhalla, which is situated in Donaustauf near Regensburg. The historic site of “Heldenberg”, which literally means “Heroes’ hill”, is a unique memorial from the first half of the 19th century. It was built in honour of the generals, officers and soldiers of the meritous royal and imperial army. The centre point is the important figure of Field Marshal Radetzky, whose last resting place was here.
Walking tour
The tour begins with a multimedia introduction to the times of Field Marshal Count Radetzky. Various exhibition pieces from the period complete this historical view.
The entire site consists of a wide reaching park, with a pillared house (a home for war veterans), several obelisks, two victory columns (around which statues and busts of the Knights of the Order of Maria-Theresia from the Italian and Hungarian campaigns are arranged), as well as several other statues and busts in the “Rulers’ Alley”, including a life-size statue of a young Franz Joseph I. A statue of Clio, the muse of history, stands in the centre of the site. In front of her there is an obelisk, under which there is the tomb. The tomb was consecrated in 1850, and in it lie the remains of Field Marshal Radetzky (1858), Baron Maximilian von Wimpffen (1854), Quartermaster General in the Battle of Aspern, and Pargfrieder himself (1863).
Austria stands behind you” – Scenes from the life of Field Marshal Radetzky
The new pewter-figure exhibition at the Radetzky Memorial provides a tour through the military career of Field Marshal Radetzky using three-dimensional pewter-figure dioramas. The pictures present experiences or events from his youth to his burial at Heldenberg.
Senior Lieutenant Radetzky had his first chance to shine! At the Slatina Bridge, Austrian Hussars and militia volunteers were arguing over a carriage full of brandy. Shots rang out, the columns became caught up in confusion; what began as retreat turned into flight. The Turks pursued them, and there could have been a catastrophe if the Turkish Sipahis had not been driven back by the rearguard, part of the Caremelli cuirassier regiment under Radetzky’s command.
The Battle of Aspern
New! In the halls of Count Radetzky’s tomb, you can see one of the largest existing battle scenes with pewter figures, the “Battle of Aspern”. It took place in 1809, when the Austrian army of Archduke Carl, led by Quartermaster General Maximilian Baron von Wimpffen, fought Napoleon’s army. The depiction of the battle, which lasted over three days, is highly detailed and impressively put together, and the individual scenes in the 6.5m “viewing box” contain over 3,000 pewter figures in total. This is one of the many new features at the Heldenberg Memorial, an experience that will fascinate adults and children alike. For schools, this historical display can be employed as part of a more lively history lesson.
