14
French visitor
In 1813 the area between Lilienstein and Hohnstein became the focus of world history. Some traces of the events – such as the strategically important connection established by Napoleon between Stolpen and the Elbe valley near Hohnstein, the so-called Napoleon or emperor’s road – are still clearly visible in the landscape. The poplar alley at the foot of the Lilienstein mountain leads from Hohnstein along the “Ziegenrücken” (goat’s back) through Waltersdorf to Ebenheit; from here it runs down to the crossing of the river Elbe between Halbestadt and Königstein.
After the defeat of Napoleon in the battle of Kulm in Bohemian Switzerland military activities soon shifted to the region around Leipzig where they culminated in the Battle of the Nations.