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Battlefields
All around Pirna lie places where European history was decided. At Kesselsdorf, west of Dresden, the Prussians defeated the Saxons and Austrians on 15 December 1745 – this decided the Second Silesian War, and ten days later came the Peace of Dresden. In late summer 1813 the old post road from Dresden to Teplitz became a theatre of war: on 26 August Prince Eugen of Württemberg held up the French general Vandamme near Krietzschwitz, and from there the fighting moved via Berggießhübel, Hellendorf and Peterswald to the Battle of Kulm on 29/30 August. Hellendorf and Markersbach – just a few kilometres from the Hammergut – lay right in the middle of the deployment area until the autumn of 1813 and suffered badly from plundering, fires and epidemics.
Krietzschwitz
the consequences and the Eugen monument: The time the Russians gained at Krietzschwitz and during their retreat had far-reaching consequences: the beaten main army of the Allies escaped to Bohemia, and on 29/30 August Vandamme ran into defeat at Kulm – he himself and many thousands of Frenchmen were taken prisoner. Napoleon’s victory at Dresden was thus largely rendered worthless. The fighting raged across the whole plateau south of Pirna. In Krietzschwitz a monument commemorates the Duke: “Duke Eugen of Württemberg fought victoriously here against Vandamme on 26 August 1813.” It is freely accessible – and right there in the village you will also find Kerzenträume and the Obstscheune.
Hellendorf in the Seven Years’ War
Hellendorf lies on the old road to Bohemia – and for that reason armies passed through it again and again. According to the village chronicle, Prussian troops marched through here in 1756 on their way to the Battle of Lobositz and returned the same way after their victory; in 1757 Frederick the Great marched into Bohemia with his army. Grain, hay and aftermath were taken from the barns “by every means of force”, and in the autumn came heavy billeting and obligations to supply the camps at Cotta, Hellendorf and Peterswald. For 1758/59 a report from neighbouring Gottleuba describes devastated fields, slaughtered livestock, dysentery and “hospital fever”. No separate engagement directly at Hellendorf is documented for this period.
Hellendorf in the fateful year of 1813
The Hellendorf chronicle records the “1st enemy raid” on 22 August 1813: the Allied army crossed the border at Peterswald and advanced on Hellendorf. After the fighting near Pirna, Vandamme pursued the Russians via Berggießhübel and Hellendorf – on 28 August the chronicle noted “everything plundered and demolished”. On 29 August Vandamme attacked Peterswald, and on the 30th he was defeated at Kulm. In September the French returned: on 14 September Lobau’s corps was attacked near Berggießhübel, and from 15 to 17 September Napoleon himself led a counter-thrust via Berggießhübel and Peterswald; he spent the night before the 17th in Peterswald.
What the war cost Hellendorf
According to the chronicle, the French camped for 16 weeks on the Hutstein by the Kulmer Steig, and Hellendorf had to help supply the camp. In the end the village had lost 335 head of livestock and made deliveries worth 26,964 thalers; in February 1814 the entire village had just 2 horses, 3 oxen, 13 cows and one bull left. Of its 27 houses, 12 had burned down or been pulled down, and by the spring of 1814, 71 people had died of dysentery and “nervous fever” – two fifths of the inhabitants. Even so, when King Friedrich August returned from captivity in 1815, Hellendorf welcomed him with a grand triumphal arch.
Markersbach in the Bahratal
Markersbach lies in the valley of the Bahra and is first mentioned in 1363; in 1970 it joined with Hellendorf to form the municipality of Bahratal, and since 1999 it has belonged to Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel. No separate “skirmish at Markersbach” is recorded in the sources – but in 1813 the village lay right in the middle of the deployment area on the Teplitz road, and according to the local history its inhabitants suffered “hardship and misery, destruction and plundering”. In the small hammer-mill hamlets of the area, according to the Hellendorf chronicle, 3 of 15 houses were destroyed in Cratza and 2 of 5 in Kleppisch. Very close by, Napoleon spent the night of 10 to 11 September 1813 in Breitenau – the “Napoleoneiche” (Napoleon’s oak) by the church is a reminder of his stay.
The Battle of Kesselsdorf, 1745
On 15 December 1745, west of Dresden, the Prussians under Prince Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau, the “Old Dessauer”, clashed with the Saxons and Austrians under Field Marshal Count Rutowski. Kesselsdorf was protected by strong batteries, and snow and ice covered the field. Two Prussian assaults on the village failed with terrible losses. When Saxon grenadiers pursued the retreating troops, the Prussian cavalry threw them back, the Prussians broke into the village along with them and seized the batteries; at the same time Prince Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau attacked on the other flank. As night fell, the Saxon line collapsed.
Kesselsdorf
the Peace of Dresden: Each side fielded around 30,000 men – the exact figures differ from source to source. The Prussians lost about 5,000 dead and wounded, the Saxons and Austrians around 3,800, plus some 6,700 taken prisoner. The Saxons gave up Dresden, Frederick the Great entered the city on 18 December, and on 25 December 1745 the Peace of Dresden was concluded, ending the Second Silesian War in Prussia’s favour – the St.-Katharinen-Kirche in Kesselsdorf still rings its bells for the hour of peace to this day. For the Old Dessauer, Kesselsdorf was his last victory; the march “Der Kesselsdorfer” bears the name of the battle.
As of: 10/2026
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