May 9th, 2015

Berlin, like no other German city, is connected with the history of the Second World War, and especially with that part of it, which in Russia is called the Great Patriotic War. The capture of Berlin was the final victory of the Soviet troops and allies. The legendary photograph - albeit staged - of the hoisting of the red banner on the Reichstag has become a symbol of victory in the bloodiest clash of the 20th century. Thousands of Soviet soldiers who participated in the battles died during the storming of the city, and after the end of the war in Berlin divided into sectors, the victors built memorial burials in honor of the fallen soldiers of their armies. And although the Allied memorials are no less interesting (and we will definitely tell you more about them), it is the Soviet monuments that are the most outstanding both historically and architecturally. For the 70th anniversary of the Victory, we have prepared an overview of Soviet memorial complexes and monuments.

All of them, except for the Tiergarten memorial, were built in the Soviet sector, which later became East Berlin. According to the agreement on the protection of monuments of military glory, signed by Germany and Russia in 1992, the German state undertakes to monitor and care for the complexes and monuments located on its territory. Therefore, all memorable places are in excellent condition, many have been restored. Every year on May 8, on the day of the end of the war, flowers are laid at the monuments to Soviet soldiers, where veterans, government officials and ordinary residents of the city come.

Memorial complex in Tiergarten (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Tiergarten)

Created by sculptors L. Kerbel and V. Tsigal, the memorial was inaugurated on November 11, 1945 in the Tiergarten, on the Charlottenburg highway (now 17 June Street), with the participation of the parade of allied troops. Until the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany in 1994, the territory of the monument was a Soviet enclave in the British sector, where Soviet soldiers carried the guard of honor.

The complex overlaps one of the alleys of the park, on the site of which, according to the plans of the chief architect of the Reich, Albert Speer, the North-South Axis, the main street of the future capital of the world, should have passed. The monument is a concave colonnade, six types of troops symbolize six columns, the material for which was the destroyed granite pillars of the Reich Chancellery. On the central, higher column, there is an eight-meter statue of a soldier with a rifle on his shoulder. On both sides of the colonnade there are two T-34 tanks and two ML-20 howitzers that took part in the battle for Berlin.

Behind the soldier there is a garden with guard rooms and graves of about 2500 fallen soldiers.

Memorial complex in Treptower Park (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal im Treptower Park)

The central memorial to the fallen Soviet soldiers is located in Treptover Park and is a grandiose architectural and sculptural ensemble. The memorial was built according to the project of the sculptors E. Vuchetich and Y. Belopolsky, who won the competition, and opened on May 8, 1949 in the central part of the park.

At both entrances to the territory of the complex on Pushkinallee and on Am Treptower Park street, granite arches with the inscription "Eternal Glory ..." are installed. The alleys leading from them lead to a square with a three-meter sculpture of the grieving Motherland made of light gray stone on a granite pedestal. The road lined with birches and poplars leads to granite terraces, on both sides of which huge banners rise at half-mast. At their foot two bronze warriors knelt down.

In the central part of the complex, five square terraces rise in steps - symbolic mass graves. On both sides at an equal distance there are rows of sarcophagi with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from civilian and military life - 16 by the number of Union republics at that time. The sixteenth republic of the USSR was from 1940 to 1956 the Karelian-Finnish SSR. Stalin's quotes in Russian and German are engraved on the sarcophagi. Despite the critical attitude towards the figure of Stalin, it was later decided to leave the inscriptions as evidence of history.

At the end point of the ensemble rises the central object - the monument "Warrior-Liberator". The 13-meter bronze sculpture, cast in Leningrad, stands on a pedestal-mausoleum located on a mound. In his left hand, a Soviet soldier holds a German girl he saved, in his right hand, a lowered sword, with which he smashes the Nazi swastika lying at his feet. The plot is based on a real event - on April 30, 1945, Sergeant Nikolai Ivanovich Masalov, during an assault near the Tiergarten, rescued and carried out a German girl under machine-gun fire. All elements are symbolic - the warrior personifies the Soviet army, the girl - the liberated new Germany. The sword, which is a copy of the medieval sword of the Pskov prince Vsevolod, according to Vuchetich's idea, is the same sword that the worker passes in Magnitogorsk (the sculpture "Rear to the Front"), raises the Motherland-Mother in Volgograd ("Motherland"), and now , breaking the symbol of fascism, lowers the warrior, marking the end of the war.

The mausoleum, which serves as the basis for the figure of a warrior, is a round domed hall. The walls are decorated with mosaics depicting people paying tribute to the fallen soldiers.

During the GDR, celebrations were held here on the anniversary of the end of the war, and in 1994, a farewell ceremony was held here before the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany, in which Russian and German soldiers took part, as well as Chancellor Kohl and President Yeltsin. In 2003, it was decided to restore the sculpture. It was taken apart and transported by barge to the island of Rügen to a restoration workshop, and in 2004 was returned to its place. Now every year people lay flowers in memory of those who died in the war, and the annual one is held not far from the entrance to the complex.

Puschkinallee, Treptower Park

Memorial complex in Pankow-Schönholz (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Schönholzer Heide)

The cemetery-monument to the soldiers of the Soviet army in the Berlin district of Pankow-Schoenholz is the largest burial place of the fallen Soviet soldiers in Germany, more than 13,000 of the total number of 80,000 who died during the storming of Berlin are buried here. However, unlike the other two memorials in Tiergarten and Treptow, the complex in Pankow is not as well known.

The memorial was erected in 1947-49 according to the plans of architects K. A. Solovyov, M. Belaventsev, V. D. Korolev and sculptor I. G. Pershudchev. At the entrance to the memorial there are granite columns with bronze wreaths and bowls depicting an eternal flame.

The gates to the territory of the complex are two buildings with towers, inside which, in a room like ancient Egyptian tombs, there are one and a half meter bronze urns. The ceiling consists of a stained-glass window depicting the coat of arms of the USSR, and Stalin's sayings in Russian and German are lined on the walls.

In the center of the ensemble, as in Treptow, 16 sarcophagi were installed. They lead to a 33-meter obelisk, in front of which rises a sculpture of the grieving Motherland, in front of which lies a fallen warrior covered with a banner. The names of the dead officers are engraved on the pedestal.

All along the wall around the complex are plaques with the names of the identified fallen soldiers. It was possible to establish the names of only about 3,000 warriors, more than 10,000 remain nameless. Between the tablets are bronze lamps with ruby ​​glass flames.

Until recently, the memorial was not in the best condition, but in 2013 it was completely restored.

Germanenstrasse 43, Schönholz

Monument in Hohenshönhausen (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Küstriner Straße)

Opened in 1975, the monument on Küstriner Strasse in the Hohenschoenhausen district was created by the sculptor I.G. Pershudchev, the author of the memorial sculptures in Pankow. Between the residential buildings there is a lawn, in the middle of which a platform is laid out with slabs. A white concrete stele with a bronze bas-relief depicting warriors and battle scenes is in the background of the ensemble, and in front of it in the center of the square is a red star.

Küstriner Straße 11, M5 Werneuchener Str.

Memorial Cemetery in Marzahn (Sowjetischer Ehrenhain Parkfriedhof Marzahn)

The burial place of about 500 soldiers and 50 officers on the territory of the park cemetery in Marzan was opened in 1958 at the initiative of the GDR and with the consent of the military leadership of the Soviet troops. The architect J. Milenz and the sculptor E. Kobbert created a square square, at the entrance to which there are two stone bowed banners, and in the center there is a red granite obelisk crowned with a star.

At the other end of the complex is a small paved area on which stands a symbolic urn. On its sides are two stones with carved inscriptions; the same stones are installed at the entrance to the memorial.

On both sides of the road, grass covers the plaques with the names of fallen soldiers.

Obelisk in Kaulsdorf (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Kaulsdorf)

The monument was built in 1946 at the burial place of fallen soldiers. Later, their remains were transferred to a newly built memorial in Treptow.

Brodauer Strasse 12, Kaulsdorf

Obelisk in Rummelsburg (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Rummelsburg)

A simple yellow brick obelisk with a star and a brass tablet in German is located near the Erlöserkirche church in Rummelsburg.

Nöldnerstrasse 44, Rummelsburg

Obelisk in Ransdorf (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Rahnsdorf)

On the border of the city in the southeast, near the Müggelsee, there is an obelisk with a five-pointed star at the top. The names and date of death of Soviet soldiers who died during the assault in this direction are engraved on it.

Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 76, Rahnsdorf

Obelisk in Buch (Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Buch)

The monument in the form of a pyramid, standing on a pedestal with columns, is located right next to the station in Bukh, in the former palace park (the palace itself, unfortunately, has not been preserved).

Wiltbergstrasse 13, Buch

Obelisk in honor of 8 May 1945 on Herzbergstraße

In the first months after the end of the war, an obelisk was erected in the park of the city hospital in Herzberg in memory of those who died in the war. At the entrance to the monument there are gates and flowerbeds. On the concrete obelisk there is only a relief in the form of the Order of the Red Star - the main military order of the Soviet army - and a white plate with the inscription "8. Mai 1945".

on the territory of the KEH hospital, Herzbergstr. 79, M8 Evangelisches Krankenhaus KEH

Memorial stone at Ostseeplatz

The stone is located between residential buildings on the Ostseeplatz in Prenzlauer Berg.

Ostseestraße 92, M4 Greifswalder Str./Ostseestr.

Commemorative plaque at Schönhauser Allee station

Near the exit of the Schönhauser Allee metro station, several bronze plaques with reliefs can be found on the wall of the bridge over the railway tracks. This is a work of sculptor Günther Schütz, created in 1985-86. Four bas-reliefs depict the period of the struggle against National Socialism and the time of the war, and the last symbolizes the liberation of Berlin by Soviet soldiers.

corner of Schönhauser Allee and Dänenstraße, + Schönhauser Allee

Stella in Adlershof

Two concrete steles are located on the square in front of the Adlershof station, one of them has an inscription in honor of Liberation Day - May 8, 1945.

Platz der Befreiung, Adlershof

The first vacated house in Martsan

The red stone house at number 563 on Landsberger Allee is considered the first house in Berlin to be liberated during the offensive of the Soviet troops.

On April 21, 1945, soldiers of the 5th shock army under the command of Colonel General N.E. Berzarin reached the border of Berlin and raised a red flag on the roof of this house. Berzarin became the first commandant of Berlin, but two months later, on June 16, 1945, he died in a car accident. The square in Friedrichshain (Bersarinplatz) is named after N.E. Berzarin, and he himself is included in the list of honorary citizens of Berlin. At the place of his death, at the crossroads of Schlossstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse (now Am Tierpark and Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse) in the Friedrichsfelde area, a memorial stone was erected.

Now institutions are located in the memorial house, but the inscription on the wall and the tablet remind that it was from here that the liberation of Berlin began.

Landsberger Allee 563, M6 Brodowiner Ring

German-Russian Museum "Berlin-Karlshorst"

The T-34 tank with the inscription "For the Motherland" is installed on a granite pedestal near the German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst. The museum is located in a historic building in which the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed on May 8, 1945, and is dedicated to the history of the Second World War, as well as the history of Soviet-German relations during the period 1917-1990. The museum also boasts an exhibition of military equipment, including the legendary Katyusha and the IS-2 tank.

Zwieseler Strasse 4, Karlshorst

It was created in May 1949 by order of the Soviet military administration to perpetuate the memory of the Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. About 7,000 Soviet soldiers who died during the Battle of Berlin are buried here. The Monument to the Liberator Warrior, also belonging to the memorial complex, together with a hill and a pedestal, has a total height of 30 meters.

After the end of World War II, the Red Army built four Soviet memorial complexes in Berlin. They not only serve as a reminder of the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who died during the Battle of Berlin, but are also the site of Soviet war graves. The central memorial is the building in. The other three memorial complexes in Berlin are the Soviet War Memorial in the Schoenholzer Heide Park in Pankow, the War Memorial in the Buch Palace Park.

For the design of the memorial complex in Treptow Park, the Soviet commandant's office organized a competition, as a result of which 33 projects were received. Since June 1946, the project was approved, presented by the Soviet team, namely, the sculptor E. V. Vuchetich, the architect Ya. B. Belopolsky, the artist A. V. Gorpenko, the engineer S. S. Valerius.

The complex was built on the site of a former sports playground and opened in May 1949.

The dominant element of the memorial complex is the monument to the Liberator Soldier, created by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich. The figure represents a soldier holding a sword in his right hand and a rescued German girl in his left. A swastika has been destroyed under the warrior's boots. The sculpture itself is 12 meters high and weighs 70 tons.

The statue towers over a pavilion built on a hill. A staircase leads to the pavilion. The walls of the pavilion are decorated with mosaics with Russian inscriptions and German translation. The hill with the pavilion is a reproduction of Kurgan, a medieval Slavic grave.

Address: Treptow Park, Puschkinallee, 12435 Berlin, Germany.

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in Treptow Park in Berlin is one of the most famous monuments to Soviet soldiers around the world.

The grand opening of the memorial took place on May 8, 1949. The remains of more than seven thousand Soviet soldiers are buried on the territory of the complex.

The central monument in the complex is the figure of a Soviet soldier, in one hand of which is a sword that cuts the fascist swastika, on the other is a little German girl rescued from the ruins of defeated Berlin. At the base of the monument is a mausoleum. Taking into account the height of the hill and the plinth of the base, the total height of the monument is about 30 meters. The height of the sculpture itself is 12 meters.

In front of the monument there is a memorial field with mass graves, symbolic sarcophagi, bowls for eternal fire, two red granite banners, sculptures of kneeling soldiers. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by the Motherland, grieving for her sons.

According to the memoirs of Ivan Odarchenko, at first a German girl really sat in his arms, and then a Russian - three-year-old Sveta - the daughter of the commandant of Berlin, General Alexander Kotikov.

The sword that Vuchetich put into the hand of the bronze soldier is a copy of the two-pound sword of the Pskov prince Gabriel, who fought against the "knight dogs" together with Alexander Nevsky.

According to the state agreement between the USSR and the FRG of 1990, the Federal Republic assumed obligations for the care and necessary restoration of monuments and other burial places of Soviet soldiers in Germany.

In 2003, the sculpture of a warrior was dismantled and sent for restoration. In the spring of 2004, she was returned to her original place.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Monument "Warrior-Liberator" in Berlin (Berlin, Germany) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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How to get there: by train to the station. Treptower Park or buses No. 166, 265, 365.

Opening hours: around the clock 7 days a week. Entrance to the park and memorial hall is free.

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• Where to stay: In hotels of any "star" and pricing policy in Berlin, near attractions or on the budget outskirts. The choice of hotels in Brandenburg and Potsdam is no less, in addition, there is wonderful nature and about 500 palaces and estates in the vicinity. Everyone whose soul is not indifferent to beauty will like the "German Florence" - Dresden with its baroque mansions and art collections. Leipzig is the most inspiring city in Germany: the works of Bach, Schumann, Wagner, Mendelssohn and Goethe are proof of this.
• What to watch: The Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall, as well as a lot of interesting museums and monuments in Berlin. In Brandenburg, you should definitely visit the brilliant royal estates, and in

The most peaceful monument to a warrior. Sword dropped. A girl clung to the soldier's shoulder. The majestic monument to the Soldier-Liberator rises on a hill in Berlin's Treptow Park. At this place, where today only the rustle of leaves breaks the silence, explosions thundered 70 years ago. On April 30, 1945, a young soldier, risking his life, carried a three-year-old German girl out of the fire. Soldier - Nikolai Masalov. Siberian from a peasant family. When he got to the front, he was barely eighteen.

It was in May, at dawn,
The battle grew near the walls of the Reichstag.
I noticed a German girl
Our soldier on the dusty pavement.

He fought as a mortar gunner on the Bryansk Front, as part of the 62nd Army, he held the defense on Mamaev Kurgan. “I defended Stalingrad from the first to the last day. The city from the bombing turned into ashes, we fought in this ashes. Shells and bombs plowed all around. Our dugout was covered with earth during the bombing. So we were buried alive,” recalls Nikolai Masalov. - Nothing to breathe. We wouldn’t get out on our own - a mountain was poured from above. From the last forces we shout: “Combat, dig it out!”

They were dug out twice. For the battles in Stalingrad, the 220th regiment received the Guards banner. And Nikolai Masalov carried this battle flag to Berlin. Along the front roads and forcing almost all the rivers of Europe. The Don, the Northern Donets, the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Vistula and the Oder were left behind ... two of the first regiment reached Berlin: Captain Stefanenko and the regiment's denominator Sergeant Masalov.

“Mutter, mutter...” – the soldier heard a weak voice just before the artillery preparation near the Landwehr Canal. Through mines and machine-gun bursts, the sergeant crawled to the children's cry.

“Under the bridge, I saw a three-year-old girl sitting next to her murdered mother. The baby had blond hair, slightly curled at the forehead. She kept fiddling with her mother's belt and calling: "Mutter, mutter!" No time to think here. I am a girl in an armful - and back. And how she sounds! I'm on the go and so and so I persuade: shut up, they say, otherwise you will open me. Here, indeed, the Nazis began to shoot. Thanks to our people - they helped us out, opened fire from all trunks.

No one counts the number of lives saved in the war. And you can't immortalize every feat in bronze. But a soldier with a little girl in his arms has become a symbol of humanity...

But now, in Berlin, under fire,
A fighter crawled and, shielding his body,
Girl in a short white dress
Carefully removed from the fire.
It stands as a symbol of our glory,
Like a beacon glowing in the dark.
It is he, the soldier of my state,
Protects peace throughout the earth.
(Poem by Georgy Rublev, 1916–1955)

The figure of the Liberator Warrior, standing with a sword on the fragments of a swastika, is the work of Evgeny Vuchetich. His Soldier was selected from 33 projects. More than three years of the sculptor's work on the monument. A whole army of specialists - 7 thousand people built a memorial in Treptow Park. And the granite used for the pedestal is trophy. On the banks of the Oder there was a warehouse of stone prepared by order of Hitler for the construction of a monument to the victory over ... the Soviet Union.

Now it is part of the memorial of Soviet military glory and the liberation of Europe from fascism. The monument rises on the mound. At the foot, in mass graves, about seven thousand Soviet soldiers are buried. In total, during the storming of Berlin, more than 75 thousand fighters were killed. Memorial, according to the agreement of the countries - winners in