Stories of the War of 1866 – a different view of the war events
The series of commemorative events at the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hradec Králové are accompanied by Stories of the War of 1866. They are twelve stories compiled based on period memories, entries in municipal chronicles and parish books, relating to the historic events of 1866. The stories are presented in two versions: short ones and long ones, and during the commemorative events some of them will appear on posters, leaflets, this website and in short videos. Journalist Vladimír Bílek is the author of the stories; Josef Šrámek, a historian from the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, provided expert supervision.
“When thinking about how to give the 150th anniversary of the Battle another dimension, we got the idea to tell stories of not only soldiers and commanders but also ordinary people from the villages, who suffered so badly during the War of 1866. We came up with the Stories of the War of 1866. They lend the war events a human dimension, bring them closer to the present, show via the various actors what the War meant for life in the villages and towns, for the relatives and lovers of those who were directly involved in it,” says Vladimír Bílek.
The basis for the stories are not only renowned military leaders, but also ordinary people, the Fortress of Hradec Králové and the interesting fact that members of most European nationalities fought in the War. For example, the battlefield at Hradec Králové was the first place in history where first aid was provided by military medical officers identified by a white armband with a red cross. It was the first time the Red Cross helped in a war on Czech territory.
Soldiers from all Central European nationalities fought and died in the War, and today their descendants are neighbours or visit each other without the restriction of national boundaries. Thus, the stories are an opportunity to show how we Europeans are connected with the distant past. This is not only a case of Czechs, Germans and Austrians, but also Slovaks, Poles, Ukrainians, Italians, Serbs, Slovenes and Croats.
A monumental painting by Václav Sochor became the basis for the visual design of the commemorative events. Likewise, he himself is the central character of one of the stories. He was eleven when one of the greatest cavalry battles in Europe took place at Střezetice near Hradec Králové. He painted the whole scene 30 years later, as a renowned painter. Emperor Franz Joseph I bought the painting for his collection later on.
The stories of both the commanders-in-chief are interesting as well. Austria's commander-in-chief Ludwig Benedek was pensioned off after the war was lost and had to promise not to speak about his command. He was buried in civilian clothes and without military honours. Victory aided King William I of Prussia to the title of Emperor and unification of Germany.
The Stories of the War of 1866 also feature a farm labourer who obstructed soldiers with his own body to save his master's last cow from being requisitioned, and the technically more advanced breech-loading rifles that may have won the battle.