Friedrich Bogislav von Tauentzien was a Prussian general who served during the reign of Frederick the Great. He was born into a noble family in the village of Tauentzien (now Tawęcino) near Lauenburg (now Lębork) in Pomerania. He fought alongside Frederick in the Silesian Wars, including at the great victories at Mollwitz, Prague, and Hohenfriedberg. He also distinguished himself by defending the city of Breslau (now Wrocław) from the Austrian armies under the command of Ernst Gideon von Laudon in 1760. His son, Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel, would later go on to become a general of even greater renown during the Napoleonic Wars. Because of his service to the city of Breslau, he was buried in an ornate funerary monument located at the site where he had defended Schweidnitzer Gate from the Austrian forces. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans and Johann Gottfried Schadow, who also designed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. After the Napoleonic Wars a large public square was built around the grave and named in his honor. However, after WWII Breslau fell into Polish hands, and the monument to the general was destroyed as a symbol of "German imperialism". The square was renamed in honor of Tadeusz Kościuszko, who led a failed anti-Russian uprising after the Second Partition in 1793. However, it is unknown if the remains of Tauentzien were also exhumed from under the monument, and so it is likely they still rest under the square.
Friedrich Bogislav von Tauentzien was a Prussian general who served during the reign of Frederick the Great. He was born into a noble family in the village of Tauentzien (now Tawęcino) near Lauenburg (now Lębork) in Pomerania. He fought alongside Frederick in the Silesian Wars, including at the great victories at Mollwitz, Prague, and Hohenfriedberg. He also distinguished himself by defending the city of Breslau (now Wrocław) from the Austrian armies under the command of Ernst Gideon von Laudon in 1760. His son, Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel, would later go on to become a general of even greater renown during the Napoleonic Wars. Because of his service to the city of Breslau, he was buried in an ornate funerary monument located at the site where he had defended Schweidnitzer Gate from the Austrian forces. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans and Johann Gottfried Schadow, who also designed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. After the Napoleonic Wars a large public square was built around the grave and named in his honor. However, after WWII Breslau fell into Polish hands, and the monument to the general was destroyed as a symbol of "German imperialism". The square was renamed in honor of Tadeusz Kościuszko, who led a failed anti-Russian uprising after the Second Partition in 1793. However, it is unknown if the remains of Tauentzien were also exhumed from under the monument, and so it is likely they still rest under the square.
Inscription
VERTHEIDIGUNG VON BRESLAU
1760
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HINTERLASSENE WERKE FRIEDRICHS II.
BAND IV. CAP. 12.
{On the sides of the monument were lists of the battles in which he fought, including Mollwitz, Prague, Kolin, and Hohenfriedberg.}
Gravesite Details
Monument no longer exists.
Family Members
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