Franzosenkreuz

Erected in memory of the more than 200 French soldiers who fell in the battle for the market on 16 January 1742.

They were buried on the municipal property near the former "Ziegelstadel". The cross stood for a long time on the road from Gallneukirchen to Riedegg Castle. Prof Jäger had it erected near his house after it had been lying unnoticed in a bush near the old Ziegelstadel. When human remains were discovered in 1949 while laying a water pipe, more attention was paid to a report by Baron Elberfeldt, the commander of the Austrian troops at the time. During systematic excavations in 1951, 218 skulls were indeed found on a municipal plot of land known as "Franzosen-Frydhof", which were said to be those of fallen French and Bavarians from the battle of 15/16 January 1741. Today the cross stands in the park in Franz-Jäger-Zeile.