Waterloo Museum and Battlefield (2 Viewers)

[ucla1967]

On our recent European vacation, we took an optional excursion from Brussels to Waterloo. Our first stop was the museum in the town of Waterloo which is located in the building that was the Duke of Wellington's headquarters almost 200 years ago. Amazing.

Del Prado toy soldiers for sale in the museum shop at 15 euros for infantry and 25 euros for cavalry. A print of Lady Butler's famous "Charge of the Scots Greys." A Brown Bess musket.

 

[ucla1967]

Various dioramas. Muskets

 

[valmy33]

Various dioramas. Muskets

Hi ucla 1967,

What's your feeling about the battlefield ? For myself, there's something special, a very sad place like Verdun.

Faithfully

Valmy

 

[Gesser]

I found it more like Gettysburg rather than Verdun, it amazed me ow open and wide it was...and after walking and touring all over it I understand better the confusion of the cav charge to the sunken road and how the Allies could be unseen by D'Orlons troops...the undulations were much more pronounced than described...the sad part was the condition of the historic structures...

 

[valmy33]

I found it more like Gettysburg rather than Verdun, it amazed me ow open and wide it was...and after walking and touring all over it I understand better the confusion of the cav charge to the sunken road and how the Allies could be unseen by D'Orlons troops...the undulations were much more pronounced than described...the sad part was the condition of the historic structures...

Hi Gesser,

It is certain that these battlefields are different in shape but not the atmosphere they generate.

Faithfully
Valmy

 

[ucla1967]

Hi ucla 1967,

What's your feeling about the battlefield ? For myself, there's something special, a very sad place like Verdun.

Faithfully

Valmy

Valmy,

Well, if it wasn't for the Lion Monument, one would hardly know that this was a battlefield. It looks like most of the other farmland in the area. But that being said, 300,00 men from seven different nations did fight here in a monumental, historically significant battle. Gettysburg and Antietam seem much more like battlefields to me.

Mike

 

[ucla1967]

I found it more like Gettysburg rather than Verdun, it amazed me ow open and wide it was...and after walking and touring all over it I understand better the confusion of the cav charge to the sunken road and how the Allies could be unseen by D'Orlons troops...the undulations were much more pronounced than described...the sad part was the condition of the historic structures...

How wide open it was also struck me.

 

[ucla1967]

Various dioramas and prints including the Charge of the Scots Greys & Gordon Highlander, Hougoumont, and Blucher. Wellington's actual folding campaign desk.

 

[Obee]

Valmy,

Well, if it wasn't for the Lion Monument, one would hardly know that this was a battlefield. It looks like most of the other farmland in the area. But that being said, 300,00 men from seven different nations did fight here in a monumental, historically significant battle. Gettysburg and Antietam seem much more like battlefields to me.

Mike

Mike,

you aren't wrong with those comments, here are my pics from a visit in 2008.

I was taken there by a fellow Belgian collector and had a great morning looking around especially seeing the circular painted diorama of the battlefield.





Later in the morning we went back into Brussels to spent the rest of the day in the Armed Forces Museum which is well worth a visit.

John

 

[TomB]

Mike,

you aren't wrong with those comments, here are my pics from a visit in 2008.

I was taken there by a fellow Belgian collector and had a great morning looking around especially seeing the circular painted diorama of the battlefield.

View attachment 126802
View attachment 126803
View attachment 126804

Later in the morning we went back into Brussels to spent the rest of the day in the Armed Forces Museum which is well worth a visit.

John

I believe the huge mound the monument is atop of is made from the soil of the actual battle field....the atmosphere there would be most sad I imagine...TomB

 

[ucla1967]

Mike,

you aren't wrong with those comments, here are my pics from a visit in 2008.

I was taken there by a fellow Belgian collector and had a great morning looking around especially seeing the circular painted diorama of the battlefield.

View attachment 126802
View attachment 126803
View attachment 126804

Later in the morning we went back into Brussels to spent the rest of the day in the Armed Forces Museum which is well worth a visit.

John

John,

My comments were about the appearance of the battlefield which, as shown in your first photo, is farmland. I wasn't refering to the museum or panorama.

Mike

 

[ucla1967]

More photos from the museum, battlefield, and a church in the town.

 

[ucla1967]

The battlefield is marked by the Lion Mound and has a visitors center where they show two films: a documentary on the battle and excerps from Serguei Bondartchouk's "Waterloo." In addition, there is a wax museum and the Panorama which has a fresco painted in 1912 that is 12 meters high and has a circumference of 110 meters. I did not get to see either film or the wax museum, but did visit the Panorama.

I attempted to take photos of the entire fresco except for a couple of areas that I may have missed. The Panorama captures the phase of the battle when Marshall Ney's French cavalry are attacking the British line which has formed squares.

 

[ucla1967]

The Panorama fresco continues.

 

[ucla1967]

French infantry formations in the distance. A close-up of Nassua fusiliers (wearing green uniforms) in a square.

 

[ucla1967]

A highly detailed model of Hougoumont in the museum.

 

[ucla1967]

Looking south towards the French positions from the British positions along the east-west running road. Although it isn't obvious from the photo, the British positions are higher than the French positions. Looking north east from the road; the British were positioned where the plowed field is located. The construction cranes in the background are building a new, underground museum. A different view of the Lion Memorial.

 

[W T Allison II]

Looking south towards the French positions from the British positions along the east-west running road. Although it isn't obvious from the photo, the British positions are higher than the French positions. Looking north east from the road; the British were positioned where the plowed field is located. The construction cranes in the background are building a new, underground museum. A different view of the Lion Memorial.

Mike: Thank you for posting your photos and comments on them. I always wanted to go there but this is the next best thing. Tommy

 

[ucla1967]

Mike: Thank you for posting your photos and comments on them. I always wanted to go there but this is the next best thing. Tommy

You are very welcome, Tommy. I don't know if you saw it or not, but I have a thread about half way down on this page on Hitler's Atlantic Wall that you might be interested in.

Mike

 

[ucla1967]

I thought I would include a few photos of my Waterloo battlefield display in California. Unlike the dioramas in Belgium, it is very simple, sitting on an inexpensive table from Ikea. It has about 200 figures on it, all from Frontline Figures, in matte, produced in the late 1990s. Frontline's price per set of six was $108; two-man sets (e.g., officer & drummer, dead & dying, etc.) were $36; two-man color party sets were $54; mounted figures were $54; and five-man artillery sets were $130. They were very detailed and painted to a high standard given their reasonable $18 per figure cost.

In addition to various French regiments, the Allies include British, Prussian, Highlander, Nassua, and Brunswick regiments. Elsewhere, I have on display more Frontline Figures regiments from Bavaria, Neuchatel, Ireland, Naples, Russia, Austria, Italy, Saxony. Westphalia, and Poland. They are not part of the Waterloo diorama because I didn't have room for them and/or they didn't take part in the battle.