THE BATTLEFIELD OF KÖNIGGRÄTZ 1866: Conception of Memoryscape of the Core Area of the Landscape Conservation Zone

The diploma project presents a landscape-architectural concept for the core area of the battlefield where the decisive clash of the Austro-Prussian War took place on July 3, 1866, near the fortress city of Königgrätz (Hradec Králové), Czech Republic. This historically charged site is protected as a landscape conservation zone due to its exceptional cultural significance—most notably the dense network of monuments and memorial crosses marking authentic sites of bloodshed.The project operates on two conceptual levels: memoryscape and lifescape. These layers aim to restore the landscape’s narrative and ecological integrity through minimal, respectful interventions. The approach commemorates the thousands of fallen soldiers buried throughout the site while promoting long-term sustainability and education.The design builds upon the historical layers of an organically developed cultural landscape, sensitively reinterpreted in the context of the 21st century. The theme of the battle is interwoven with local agricultural traditions—such as the now-forgotten cultivation of flax and hemp—to create an immersive and emotionally resonant experience of the historic terrain. The battlefield landscape retains archetypal features of the Czech countryside—forests, meadows, fields, and orchards— some named after military commanders who fought in the battle. Native woodlands are bordered by commemorative meadows that, on major battle anniversaries, burst into vivid red poppies, symbolically evoking the memory of those who fought and died in the battle.