Napoleonstein, Leipzig

The Napoleon Stone is a monument in Leipzig commemorating the Battle of the Nations in October 1813.

The monument is located on the spot from which Napoleon observed and directed the battles of the Battle of the Nations on October 18, especially those around Probstheida. It is located on a hill, the Marienhöhe, near the Marienquelle between the villages of Stötteritz, Probstheida and Connewitz, which at that time belonged to Thonberg. On this height stood the Quandt tobacco mill, which was destroyed during the fighting. Napoleon is said to have given the order to retreat here in the afternoon, then fell asleep on a field chair and left the hill in the dark in the direction of Leipzig.

As early as 1832, interested citizens had erected a simple, uninscribed sandstone in this place as a memorial. The present monument was erected by the Association for the Celebration of October 19 and inaugurated on October 25, 1857. It is the sixth of seven monuments erected by this association. It consists of a reddish granite ashlar with a base and a top plate, resting on a mound of earth. On two opposite sides it bears the inscriptions: "Here Napoleon stayed on October 18, 1813, observing the battles of the Battle of the Nations" and "Site of the former Quandt tobacco mill, Napoleon's command post". On the top of the stone there are the replicas of the emperor's hat and telescope on a cushion, and earlier also those of his epee. The monument is surrounded by a lattice fence with twelve columns.

On old pictures you can still see the clear view from the site to the former battlefield and the city, as well as nearby a small hut, built in 1862, which served the overseer of the monument. Meanwhile, the surrounding park trees enclose the monument. The Napoleon Stone has lost its attraction because of its large neighbor, the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, about 450 meters away.

Restaurant Napoleonstein "Napoleonstein" was also the name of a popular beer and garden pub on Reitzenhainer Straße, located about 350 meters to the northeast from the monument Napoleonstein. It was operated by the Bertsch family from 1889 until it burned out in 1943. The latter had a private collection on the Battle of the Nations and the Napoleonic period, with at last count 18,000 pieces, which was open daily as an important historical museum on the Battle of the Nations. After two failed attempts to re-establish a restaurant here in the second half of the 20th century, the "Napoleonstein" residential complex was built on the site in 1995/1996.