Napoleon in Vienna

Napoleon crossing the Danube in 1809 at the battle of Wagram - Painting by Frederic Naulet

Early in 1809, Napoleon advanced from Bavaria into Austria, hoping to capitalize on his victory at Raszyn.

But the Austrian commander, Archduke Karl, proved a worthy adversary and at the massive Battle of Aspern-Essling (May 22, 1809) dealt the French leader his first significant tactical defeat.

It was only a brief respite, before the French reorganized. Napoleon gathered his forces and defeated the Austrians at Wagram, on Jul. 5 and 6, invading the proud Habsburg capital, adding the glittering Austrian jewel to the latest string of French conquests. The Emperor was delighted.

“Austria wants to get slapped; she shall have it,” Napoleon boasted. “If the Emperor Francis attempts any hostile move, he will soon have ceased to reign.”

Today, though, you would be hard put to find a trace of this momentous event.

One remaining memento is the famous Lion of Aspern statue, commemorating the great Battle of Aspern-Essling. Located on Siegesplatz (Victory Place) in Vienna’s 22nd District – an area of strip malls and modest prefab homes, it is easy to miss, unless you are looking for it, off the beaten track favored by tourists walking the stately Ringstraße or sipping coffee at one of the Austrian capital’s cozy cafes.

Erected in 1858, it is a monument made in sandstone showing a dying lion, stabbed in the shoulder – symbolizing the Austrian soldiers and civilians who lost their lives even amid victory. Napoleon had attempted a forced crossing of the Danube just outside Vienna, but the French and their allies were driven back.

The battle was the first time Napoleon had been personally defeated in over a decade of his leadership.

Apart from the Lion of Aspern, monuments to Napoleon in Vienna are limited to a few obelisks in the Lobau District – more famous for its nude sunbathers and mosquitoes than for the diminutive French emperor.

Still there are plenty of Napolean footprints for those who care to seek them out in Vienna’s cobble stone streets.

“Around 30 streets in Vienna are named after historic figures from the time of Napoleon’s occupation of Vienna,” says Johannes Sachslehner in his latest book Napoleon in Vienna. There is Erzherzog Karl Straße – named for the general who managed to stop the crossing. But it’s not only Austrian generals who are honored: Vienna’s Lannesstrasse was named after Jean Lannes, one of generals on the other side.

In keeping with his renowned grandiosity, Napoleon arrived in Vienna and promptly moved into Schönbrunn Palace – summer residence of the Austrian emperor – while his troops were accommodated in five camps around the city. Vienna itself however, went about its normal way during the six months of French occupation.

There were some changes to be sure: the Napoleonic Code imposed by the French monarch opened up new professions to Jews and other minorities that were long remembered.

But the Viennese had other things on their mind: Their beloved Josef Haydn had died in April (with his home under the protection of the French Emperor who was a great admirer). At the same time, a short way across town, a doctrinaire count named Clemens Wenzel Neopomuk Lothar von Metternich was maneuvering to become foreign minister, which he did following the French route in October, ushering in a generation of Biedermeier propriety and peace.

One explanation for the relative scarcity of traces of the brief Napoleonic Era was the fact that the French were respectful and left Vienna more or less intact.

Napoleon was apparently more interested in attending concerts and other events in the Austrian capital than leaving his imprimatur on the already majestic city.

The only change Napoleon made to the city’s architecture was to destroy part of the Hofburg bastions – for reasons that remain unexplained to this day. In their place, Austrian Kaiser Franz I built the Burgtor – the famous castle gate – about 15 years later.