Austerlitz () is a village in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

province of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Zeist Zeist () is the Capital city, capital and largest town of the Zeist (municipality), municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht (province), Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht. History The town of " ...

, and lies about 6 km east of Zeist.

History

In 1804, an army camp was established at the site, called French camp. The town was founded on 17 August 1806 on the location of the camp. It was given its name by King

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

in honour of the victory of his brother, emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

. In 1840, it was home to 233 people. Close to the town, there is an artificial hill called the

Pyramid of Austerlitz The Pyramid of Austerlitz is a 36-metre-high pyramid of earth, built in 1804 by Napoleon's soldiers on one of the highest points of the Utrecht Hill Ridge, in the municipality of Woudenberg, Woudenberg, the Netherlands. Atop the pyramid is a ston ...

(), actually part of the municipality

Woudenberg Woudenberg () is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the central Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. In 2023, it had a population of 14,410. There are forests in the ...

. It used to have a wooden

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

, but was removed in 1808 due to instability. In 1894, a stone obelisk was added to the top.

Gallery

File:Austerlitz 2.jpg, Bandstand in Austerlitz File:Austerlitz De Hoeksteen.jpg, Church in Austerlitz File:Austerlitz Dorpsplein 10.jpg, House in Austerlitz File:Austerlitz Dorpspomp.jpg, Village pump

References

1806 establishments in the Netherlands Populated places established in 1806 Populated places in Utrecht (province) Zeist Louis Bonaparte {{Utrecht-geo-stub