Santon, Mountain peak near Brno, Czech Republic.
Santon is a 296-metre hill of first-period conglomerate in the Tvarožná cadastre, rising above the Tvaroženský potok between the village and the D1 motorway. A classicist Chapel of Our Lady of the Snow stands on top, surrounded by war graves and the remains of 1805 entrenchments.
The summit served as an observation point during the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 when Napoleon's forces positioned themselves there. This event connects the peak to a pivotal moment in European military history.
The name Santon was given by French soldiers during the 1805 campaign, who were reminded of a hill they had encountered in Egypt in 1798; locals later called it Napoleonův kopec. Older names were Padělek, Tvaroženský kopeček and Kopeček. A white marble cross with a roof and a garland of roses, erected in 1987 at the foot of the hill, commemorates fallen soldiers and civilians.
The hill lies one kilometre south-west of Tvarožná, between the village and the D1 motorway, just north of the Rohlenka motorest. The open grassy slopes are a protected natural monument, so walkers should stay on the paths. The chapel, the trench remains and the memorial cross stand close together on and around the summit.
The hill is built of first-era conglomerate, not limestone, and rises above the Tvaroženský potok between the village and the D1 motorway. Its slopes have been protected as a natural monument since 1979, and restoration work begun in 1995 has brought back over 300 species of higher plants.
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