Around Jena Two weeks have passed since our excursion to Berlin, and we have been exploring the multiple layers of history that confront us daily in and around the city of Jena.
Some highlights follow.
Juliet looks south over the Saale valley. Under cover of night, Napoleon's troops pushed cannon up the hill to surprise the Prussians in the battle for Jena on 14 October 1806. A total of 36,000 soldiers lost their lives in the French victory, a harrowing number comparable to the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. A stone monument marks the spot where Napoleon directed his troops. The view from the former battlefield toward the eastern part of Jena in beautiful.