Czech RepublicIn one of the more important battles in military history, Napoleon Bonaparte showed his tactical genius in the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz when his troops defeated the allied forces of Austria, Portugal, Russia and other nations.
The town of Slavkov u Brna, near the site of the battle, marks the event annually with a historical re-enactment. This year, the event runs Friday through the weekend. On Saturday, there will be a re-enactment of the battle from 2-3:30 p.m. on Santon Hill with more than 1,000 soldiers, 80 horses and 20 cannons. Admission is free.
At 7:30 p.m., the troops march into Austerlitz; fireworks follow at 8 p.m. Other highlights include a three-day military camp, visits to the Austerlitz castle with a historical Christmas market in the courtyard, and a Saturday morning military flea market.
For more information, go to www.austerlitz.org, which has an English option.
GermanyOrganizers call it the Mother of all Conventions. Friday through the weekend, the annual Berlin Tattoo Convention meets in the Berlin Arena, bringing together 200 international tattoo artists and fans.
The program includes live music and seminars, such as basic piercing and color realism, piercing and Asian tattoos. Tattoo artists are invited to participate in Artfusion, a timed challenge in which four artists work together on one tattoo sketch. The convention is open 2 p.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost 19 euros for one day, 39 euros for the weekend. See www.tattoo-convention.de, which has an English option.
ItalyMilan’s L’Artigiano in Fiera is a trade fair for arts and crafts that brings together 3,000 artists from 110 countries. Beginning Saturday and running until Dec. 11 in nine pavilions on the fairgrounds, the fair has a wide choice of international crafts, including clothing and accessories, furniture and furnishings, jewelry, gifts, traditional specialties and food.The fair is open 3-10:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. all other days. See www.artigianoinfiera.it/eng.
