Austerlitz is a middle-aged architectural historian living in London who was evacuated from Czechoslovakia as a child in 1939. He grows up in Wales under the name Dafydd Elias, unaware of his true identity until his teenage years. He struggles with severe isolation and repressed trauma, originally devoting his life to studying capitalist-era monumental architecture rather than confronting his origins.

An unnamed traveler and writer who crosses paths with Austerlitz repeatedly over three decades in cities across Europe. He suffers from intermittent depression and a degenerative eye condition that causes central blindness. He acts as the sole audience for Austerlitz's sprawling recollections, carefully recording their lengthy conversations in notes and memory.

A French architectural historian from a wealthy family who meets Austerlitz during his student days in the late 1950s. She spends weekends at her family's country estates and shares his deep academic interests. She actively challenges his dedication to solitude and tries to draw him out of his emotional isolation.

A younger student at Stower Grange whom Austerlitz befriends and protects. He introduces Austerlitz to his eccentric family and their welcoming estate, Andromeda Lodge, which provides a sharp contrast to the cold Elias household. He develops a passion for flying planes and a unique system for ranking the homing abilities of birds.

A talented Czech Jewish actress and opera singer. She possesses a hopeful outlook on the future of Europe despite the rising threat of fascism. She makes the difficult decision to evacuate her son to England via the kindertransport while remaining in Prague herself.

A former nanny who looked after Austerlitz during his early childhood in Prague. She lives in an apartment filled with unchanged physical items from the 1930s. She serves as the living bridge to Austerlitz's forgotten past, supplying him with stories, old photographs, and the Czech language he lost.

A Welsh Methodist minister who takes in the young Austerlitz as a refugee. He preaches terrifying sermons about the Last Judgment and divine punishment to his congregation. His household is freezing, dreary, and devoid of affection, offering duty but no comfort.

The adoptive mother of Austerlitz in Wales. She is pale and unable to manage the household as her health consistently declines. She maintains a strict silence regarding Austerlitz's origins in a misguided attempt to force his assimilation into Welsh life.

Austerlitz's biological father, who lived with Agáta in Prague before the war. Unlike his partner, he feels a growing dread over the rise of German nationalism and the enthusiasm surrounding the National Socialist ideology. He flees to Paris just before the German occupation.

A teacher at Stower Grange who takes an intense interest in Austerlitz after the headmaster reveals the boy's true name. He provides vivid historical lectures and actively supports Austerlitz's education, helping to secure his citizenship paperwork years later.

Gerald's fifty-year-old uncle, who suffers from a spinal disease. He paces constantly to prevent further loss of mobility. His nephew attributes his harsh condition directly to his extreme stinginess.

Gerald's great-uncle, a robust and active man in his sixties. He spends his days exploring nature and creating art en plein air around the Welsh estate. He teaches the visiting schoolboys about local flora and fauna.

A pale, English-speaking archivist working in Prague. She assists Austerlitz in locating the residential records for his unique surname, eventually providing the crucial address that leads him to Vera.

An employee from the old Paris library. He shares Austerlitz's frustration with the hostile architecture of the new library complex and points out the dark history buried directly beneath its massive foundations.

A local cobbler in the Welsh town of Bala. He provides a sharp contrast to Emyr Elias's rigid theology by telling Austerlitz local folklore about flickering ghosts and the return of those who die unjust deaths.