23 U S A ( To l l - f r e e ) 1-877-381-2914 E m a i l info@theculturalexperience.com 17 th & 18 th Century FREDERICK THE GREAT THE BATTLES IN BOHEMIA Thisis the secondinourtrilogyofFrederick the Great tours, and follows the famous leader’s fortunes throughout Bohemia against the Austrian Empire. From our bases in the traditional Bohemian town of Hradec Kralove and the magnificent capital city of Prague, we travel through rolling countryside and enjoy wonderful Czech hospitality to round off the whole experience. These battlefields may be amongst Europe’s less well-known, however they remain, in the best part, undisturbed allowing for the perfect overview and demonstration of Frederick the Great’s tactical acumen. 19 – 26 September 2018 8 days with Maj-Gen John ‘DZ’ Drewienkiewicz Activity Level 2 Essentials Return flights from London, 4 star hotels, buffet breakfast, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour price: £2395 Single supplement: £345 Deposit: £225 Price without flights: £2195 This tour encompasses battlefields from two different wars; The War of Austrian Succession (otherwise known as the First Silesian War) and the Seven Years War. However, both involved the army of the Austrian Empire defending itself against Frederick the Great’s invading Prussian military machine. Frederick’s successes in Silesia continued and by the mid-1750’s he’d startled most of the major European powers into a coalition to halt his advances further. His invasion of Bohemia in 1757 came mighty close to occupying Prague, but he was eventually pushed back into Silesia and Prussia itself. Throughout the tour we will study examples of why Frederick the Great is considered one of history’s most influential military thinkers and tacticians, but also learn of some of his defeats where sheer numbers or rare strategic misjudgements cost him heavy losses and ultimately success. Day 1 – Arrival. Fly London to Prague and transfer to our hotel in the historic and charming town of Hradec Kralove for 3 nights. Day 2 – Battle of Chotusice. We drive south and after stopping at the traditional towns of Pardubice and Nove Dvory we explore the battlefield of Chotusice. Fought in 1742 as part of the War of Austrian Succession, it was the only battle started by the Austrians during the war as they tried to retake Prague. Frederick was initially unprepared with his forces scattered. However, he ended up snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and the Treaty of Breslau quickly followed. Day 3 – Battle of Soor. Frederick once again proved his and his army’s military superiority at Soor. The Austrian army outnumbered him significantly, but their surprise attack failed and the Prussians gained the upper hand in what became a comfortable victory. At the Josephstadt fortress we can see a fine example of the measures taken by the Austrians to protect themselves against further Prussian aggression. Day 4 – Prague. We check-out of our hotel and head towards Prague, along the way we see a preserved Austrian battery position which was in use from the Silesian Wars through to the Austro-Prussian War, which happens to be adjacent to the Museum. Once in Prague we take a tour of the attractive, vibrant and historically rich capital, before checking-in to our hotel for 4 nights. Day 5 – Battle of Lobositz. We drive north from Prague to study the battlefield of Lobositz. This was the first land battle of the 7 years’ war fought in October 1756 when Frederick was trying to push further into Bohemia, but was halted and forced back into Saxony for the winter. We stop in at another 18th century fortress town , that of Theresienstadt, which became notorious in the Second World War. Day 6 – Battle of Prague. Frederick attempted to take the capital in May 1757 and after splitting the Austrian army in two with the ‘Prague Manoeuver’ threw them back into the city. However, his own army had been severely weakened resulting in his decision to siege the city rather than attempt to storm it outright. Day 7 – Battle of Kolin. Our final battle of this tour is an Austrian victory, just over a month after Prague. The Austrian relief army defeated the Prussians very heavily, in what was Frederick's most significant reverse to date, and the Prussians lost nearly 14,000 men. Frederick reeled back from Bohemia to Silesia to lick his wounds. But he would be back, as will be demonstrated in our next tour, Frederick in Prussia and Saxony. Day 8 – Home. After a morning visit to the Prague military museum we catch our afternoon flight to London. " This was our first battlefield tour we have been on and it exceeded all of our expectations. John really is an expert in his field. " Austrian-Prussian Cuirassiers