On the project of the series of events for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hradec Králové, the main organizer is the Guard of the City of Hradec Králové; co-organizers are the Hradec Králové Region, the City of Hradec Králové, the Museum of Eastern Bohemia and the Committee for the Preservation of Monuments from the War of 1866. The honorary president of the organizing committee is František Kinský and, in addition to representatives of the main organizers, academic representatives of the University of Hradec Králové are also cooperating in the preparation of the events. Other state and non-state organizations, church institutions and voluntary historical, cultural and military associations from the Czech Republic and other European countries, especially Austria and Germany, are gradually joining the project.
'I believe that the general public will appreciate the rich programme, which approaches this event from many different angles. After all, for example, the Red Cross began helping the wounded on European battlefields for the first time,' says Zdeněk Fink, Mayor of Hradec Králové.
'I am pleased that every year tourists from Austria, Germany and Italy in particular come to our region for the commemorative events of this war clash, because this shows that Europeans have a rich history that connects us. Let the events marking the 150th anniversary of the 1866 battle at Hradec Králové be not only a dignified remembrance, but also
an opportunity for further interesting activities within tourism in our region,' says Lubomír Franc, Governor of the Hradec Králové Region.
'We are preparing a number of events that will recall not only historical events, but will also create opportunities for meetings of important personalities from cultural, professional and social life. We are also pleased that all involved entities share a consensus on an intensive approach, which is important for the success of this demanding project,' states Radek Balcárek, director of the Königgrätz 1866 project.
Because this project has also set itself the goal of strengthening the role of social and presentation events within tourism, it should become an interesting activity in this field as well. Patronage over the events organized within the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hradec Králové has so far been assumed by the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman, Austrian ambassador Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka, Minister for Regional Development Karla Šlechtová, Minister of Culture Daniel Herman, Minister of Defence Martin Stropnický, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek and the Rector of the University of Hradec Králové Josef Hynek.
The programme includes not only commemorative events directly on the battlefield and attractive battle demonstrations with Czech and foreign military associations, but also the unveiling of a new monument, an international conference, a multimedia programme with an open-air concert by the Hradec Králové Philharmonic, theatre performances, exhibitions, reissues of older publications and the publication of new ones. The XVI Hradec Králové city ball titled 'The Ball of Emperor Franz Joseph I' will also be held in the spirit of the 150th anniversary of the battle of Hradec Králové.
At present, the exhibition 'The Fortress of Hradec Králové' at the Museum of Eastern Bohemia is already open to the public; it will gradually be complemented by three more exhibitions: 'Life in the Fortress', 'In the Shadow of War' and 'Echoes of the Austro-Prussian War'.
The main week of the commemorative events will be the turn of June and July, from 29 June to 3 July, when, among other things, a three-day international conference 'The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 in the optics of political, military, social, economic and cultural history', a cultural programme in the streets and squares of Hradec Králové with concerts, lectures, a historical market and demonstrations of military units will take place. The culmination will be these events: the unveiling of the Monument to the Cavalry Clash near Střezetice, reconstructions of individual clashes of the battle, a multimedia programme with a concert by the Hradec Králové Philharmonic on the Great Square on Saturday 2 July, and the Great Battle Scene demonstration 'Königgrätz 1866' on the Chlum battlefield on Sunday 3 July 2016.
The anniversary programme will also include theatre performances 'At the Cannon There Stood, or The Battle of Hradec Králové' by Drak Theatre Hradec Králové and the play 'Benedek' by the Střezina Art School Hradec Králové. The culmination of the commemorative series will be a reminder of the arrival of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, who in the autumn of 1866 visited the war-affected villages and provided gifts. He donated one million gulden to alleviate suffering in the Hradec region, which in today's prices would amount to about 120 million Czech crowns.
Further information can be found by those interested on the website www.koniggratz150.eu in Czech, German and English.
Hradec Králové, October 2015
Further information: Radek Balcárek
e-mail: info@koniggratz150.eu
tel.: 608 216 662