ORF-E
English
1 x 45 min / 1 x 52 min
Worldwide

On August 26, 1278, on the Marchfeld (Morava Field) in the east of today’s Lower Austria, the greatest cavalry battle ever seen on the European continent took place. The adversaries: the Habsburg German King Rudolph I and Přemyslid Ottkar II, the King of Bohemia. The battle was the climax of a conflict that had built up over the past five years. When it ended, one of the adversaries was dead and the rise of the other and his dynasty had begun. The Habsburgs left a decisive mark on the destiny of Europe for the coming 640 years. An international docu-drama now tells the story of this turning point in world history. The final seven days before the battle during which the two opponents were in their war camps, preparing for the all-important fight, provide a dramatic frame for the tale, with flashbacks showing viewers how the conflict came about. Today, the battle is surrounded by countless myths, with very few certainties. The film charts the investigations of Archaeologist Wolfgang Neubauer and his team from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute as they use ground radar to examine the bloody battleground between Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen, in the hope of unearthing one of the kings’ camps.