Museum collections

The origin of the Cairn of Peace Memorial's collection can be traced back to the construction of the museum building. Initially, the collection consisted of objects found across the vast Austerlitz battlefield (such as horseshoes, religious medals, cannonballs, etc.). Thanks to the activities of the Committee for the Establishment of a Dignified Ossuary on the Completely Abandoned Austerlitz Battlefield, a number of valuable items were purchased in the 1920s and displayed in the museum building. During World War II, most of the objects were stored outside the museum. Unfortunately, these collection items—which we now know about only from the accounts of contemporary witnesses—did not return to the Cairn of Peace museum after 1945 and were irretrievably lost. The shortage of collection items was subsequently compensated for by loans, particularly from the Military History Museum in Prague, which also formed the core of the new, post-war exhibition.
A rigorous inventory of the collection did not take place until 1968, by which time the items borrowed from the Military History Museum had already been returned, and a number of collection items had simultaneously been transferred to other institutions. In 1996, a curator was appointed for the Cairn of Peace Memorial collection, and their efforts, especially regarding the enrichment of the small collection, continue to be built upon today.
Today, the collection comprises 691 inventory numbers, under which around 1,900 collection objects can be found. Paper is heavily represented in the collection in the form of books, prints, engravings, archival documents, postcards, and posters. A specific group within this category consists of photographs and glass negatives. Furthermore, metals—both ferrous and non-ferrous—are represented in the collection, including archaeological material, coins, medals, and, last but not least, weapons. The collection also includes paintings, specifically oil paintings on canvas. Other materials present to a lesser extent include leather, textiles, wood, as well as audio and video media. Part of the collection is on display in the "Battle of the Three Emperors 1805" and "The Austerlitz Phenomenon" exhibitions at the Cairn of Peace Memorial museum.