The Königgrätz March ( AM II, 134 (AM II, 195)), also known as Der Königgrätzer or Der Königgrätzer Marsch, is one of the most famous German military

marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...

, composed in 1866 by

Johann Gottfried Piefke Johann Gottfried Piefke (9 September 1817 – 25 January 1884) was a German band leader, (''Kapellmeister'') and composer of military music. Piefke was born in Schwerin an der Warthe, Prussia (now Skwierzyna, Poland). In the 1850s, he was band ...

in commemoration of the

Battle of Königgrätz The Battle of Königgrätz (or Sadowa) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové (German: Königgrä ...

, the decisive

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

of the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

, in which the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

defeated the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. In Piefke's most successful arrangement of the Königgrätzer Marsch, another march, Der Hohenfriedberger (commemorating the

Battle of Hohenfriedberg The Battle of Hohenfriedberg or Hohenfriedeberg (now Dobromierz, Poland), also known as the Battle of Striegau (now Strzegom, Poland) was one of Frederick the Great's most admired victories. Frederick's Prussian army decisively defeated an A ...

), is used as a trio. The commonly played version (AM II, 195) is set as an infantry march, while an alternate adaptation is arranged as a cavalry

galop In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running gait of a horse (see Gallop), a shortened version of the original term galoppade, is a lively country dance, introduced in the late 1820s to Parisian society by the Duchesse de Berry and popu ...

(AM III, 228). The German military march catalogue also has the "Königgrätzer mit anderem Trio" ("Königgrätzer with Other Trio"; Heeresmarsch IIIB, 67), but this secondary composition is far less recognized.

History

The first draft of the march is said to have been written by Piefke on the battlefield itself. The confident six-eighths meter composition follows the battle in two parts, the beginning motif signifying the indecisive combat between the first Prussian contingent and the Austrians, the second motif signifying the arrival of Prussian reinforcements. Piefke used ''Der Hohenfriedberger'' as a trio to recall the older victories of king

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

over the Austrians in the 18th century. The victory in the Battle of Königgrätz paved the way for the supremacy of Prussia in the

German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...

and ultimately led to the establishment of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1871. The Königgrätzer Marsch continues to be extremely popular and is a staple of any modern German military parade, whereas in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

it is heard only very rarely, because the piece is associated with Austrian military failure. Like many other German marches and musical compositions (such as ''Der Hohenfriedberger'' and the Badonviller Marsch), the Nazis made significant use of the Königgrätzer Marsch. The piece has the dubious distinction of being one of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's reported favorite marches, and it was often played during his public appearances including the

Nuremberg Rally The Nuremberg rallies ( , meaning ) were a series of celebratory events coordinated by the Nazi Party and held in the German city of Nuremberg from 1923 to 1938. The first nationwide party convention took place in Munich in January 1923, but the ...

. This connotation, however, has not dimmed the march's image, and it has been recorded many times by bands and orchestras since the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Like many German marches it is also used by the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

and other militaries with a historical connection to Germany. The "Königgrätzer" is the regimental march of the 2nd Battalion,

The Jamaica Regiment The Jamaica Regiment is the main formation of land troops in the Jamaica Defence Force. It is a non- mechanised infantry regiment consisting of five battalions, three regular infantry battalions, one territorial infantry battalion, and a Combat ...

, under the name "2nd Battalion West India Regiment", and the gallop march (under the name "Granaderos al Galope", with the addition of a traditional French fanfare) of the 1st Cavalry Regiment "Granaderos" of Chile. It was the march of the 91st Oldenburg Infantry Regiment and the parade-march of the 1st Bavarian Infantry Regiment "König" of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

. : \relative c''

In popular culture

* The "Königgrätzer Marsch" was adopted and has been interpreted by the Chilean Army's cavalry and mounted units, and by the Santiago garrison war and instrumental bands since the early XX century. It is most notably performed by the galloping, mounted Presidential Escort Cavalry Regiment No. 1 Granaderos' war and instrumental bands during the Army's yearly 'Grand Parade'. * The "Königgrätzer Marsch" is heard at the beginning of the massive revue parade in

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, Film editing, editor, photographer, and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial ...

propaganda film, ''

Triumph of the Will ''Triumph of the Will'' () is a 1935 German Nazi propaganda film directed, produced, edited and co-written by Leni Riefenstahl. Adolf Hitler commissioned the film and served as an unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening ...

'' (1935) when

Viktor Lutze Viktor Lutze (28 December 1890 – 2 May 1943) was a German Nazi Party functionary and the commander of the ''Sturmabteilung'' ("SA") who succeeded Ernst Röhm as '' Stabschef'' and '' Reichsleiter''. After he died from injuries recei ...

leads SA honor guards in their march past. * In the French war comedy ''

Ace of Aces Ace of aces is an informal title for the top pilot in a branch of military service. It also may refer to: Books * ''Ace of Aces'', the title of several biographies of Dick Bong * ''Ace of Aces'', the title of Teddy Suhren's memoirs * ''Ace of A ...

'' (1982), the Königgrätzer Marsch plays at a Berlin railway station during the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

, where a band is playing. * In the mod versions of ''

Day of Defeat ''Day of Defeat'' is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game set in the European theatre of World War II on the Western front. Originally a modification of the 1998 game ''Half-Life'', the rights of the modification were purchas ...

'' (2003), the "Königgrätzer Marsch" played if the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' faction won. * In '' Call of Duty: World at War'' multiplayer mode, if the ''

'' faction wins the "Königgrätzer Marsch" plays. Also, in the final mission of the game's campaign mode, the song can be heard within and outside of the Reichstag while fighting an SS unit. It can also be heard in the minigame

Nazi zombies Nazi zombies are a Horror fiction, horror Trope (cinema), trope found in films, video games, and comic books. Nazi zombie narratives usually feature undead Nazi soldiers resurrected to fight for the Third Reich. The book ''Nazisploitation!: The N ...

on the map ''Nacht der Untoten''. * In the 1982 French adventure comedy ''

L'as des as ''L'as des as'' (''The Ace of Aces''; alternate English title: ''The Super Ace'') is a 1982 French-German action comedy film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and directed by Gérard Oury. ''The Ace of Aces'' was a huge public success, reaching five a ...

'' starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

, a short segment of the march is played at the Berlin train station, when the French athletes arrive. * The march was featured in the film ''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...

'' (1989) when Jones infiltrates a Nazi book-burning ceremony. This was meant to be a reference to ''

''; scenes with

herself (played by

Suzanne Roquette Suzanne Roquette (30 August 1942 – 28 May 2020) was a German actress. She is best known for her role as Main Mission Operative Tanya Alexander in Year One of the science fiction television series '' Space: 1999''. Space: 1999 costar Prentis Ha ...

) filming the rally were shot but deleted from the final cut.

References

External links

Königgrätzer Marsch in a YouTube video.

Königgrätzer Marsch in a YouTube video, as played by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Arrangement used by the Jamaica Regiment in a YouTube video (without trio section).

The march as used by the Chilean Army in a YouTube video (without trio section).

Königgrätzer Marsch parts and score.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Königgrätzer Marsch Compositions by Johann Gottfried Piefke German military marches 1866 compositions

History

In popular culture

See also

References

External links