One thing I learned from visiting the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park is that the Soviets knew how to honour their dead.
The memorial in Treptower Park is the largest of the three main Soviet war memorials in Berlin – the other two are on Strasse des 17 Juni and in Schönholzer Heide.
When I got my first glimpse of the manicured lawns, the symmetrical beauty of the landscaping and marvellous sculptures, my immediate thought was ‘this is now one of my favourite places in Berlin’.
My first visit was on Monday morning, with the sun behind the monumental statue of the Soviet soldier carrying a rescued German child as he crushes a Swastika beneath his boot. It was difficult to capture the features of this statue facing into such strong sunlight so I returned on Wednesday evening when the sun had swung round so that it was behind the statue of Mother Russia at the other end of the memorial.
I entered the memorial from the north so it was only after I had reached this statue and turned to my left that I was able to see the scale of what had been built here.
I then walked along the paved slope up to the two red granite blocks and kneeling soldiers that seem to form a gateway to the next section leading to the statue, which is said to represent Sergeant of the Guards Nikolai Masalov.
I walked past the five lawns with their bronze wreaths, marking the mass graves of Soviet soldiers and flanked by sixteen stone sarcophagi and climbed the steps to the mausoleum crowned by the impressive statue.
It was after admiring the mosaic tiling of the mausoleum and as I rounded the statue that I felt what I thought was a scratch on my calf and looked down to see a wasp stinging me as the pain intensified slightly. I managed to strangle the swear word threatening to escape my lips as I remembered where I was just in time. In the end what I mumbled was something like ‘You bssst’.
And being stung was probably the only thing that meant this wasn’t a perfect morning in Berlin, enjoying the sunshine and experiencing the awe of a first visit to the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park.
Ever since my first visit the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park has been one of the first places on my list of things to see when I have visitors in Berlin – the wasp sting was thankfully a one-off.
OK, I admit I’ve only been to the memorial in the Tiergarten. Looks like there’s a new place to visit! By the way, looking at your post about your visit in Treptower Park, I can in fact almost hear the sounds of “Dasvidaniya Rodina” …
It’s also one of the few places in Berlin where they still have hammer-and-sickle and swastika images, and also quotes by Joseph Stalin.
There’s also a story about the soldier depicted on the main monument; he’s said to represent the soldier who saved a child from crossfire during the seige of Berlin, and apparently there’s a plaque commemorating that event on Potsdamer Bruecke.
Jeroen, I had read the story of the soldier but didn’t know about the plaque so will have to check that out. Thanks.
Ah, I loved this place … so dramatic. I used a whole roll of film here, which I still need to get developed. Nice photos!
Dramatic is a great description. I hope you’ll post the photos once you’ve developed them. I love to see other people’s impressions of places I love.
I was at this memorial shortly after WW II when it was built .
I visited the Treptower Memorial for the first time just three days ago. It was a beautiful day, and the immaculate gardens were a perfect setting for this imposing monument. The enormous scale of the statues and the marble frescos depicting war scenes, carved with inscriptions of Stalin’s quotes. spoke to me of vengeance for German atrocities and the crushing of Nazism, more than a solemn expression of grief for those died.
Unlike the quiet dignified memorials in Belgium and France, which even 70 years on can touch your very soul, this seemed too political and too brutal to leave any room for more human emotions.
Great photographs. I have some taken in April 1959 when I was serving in Germany. I am visiting Berlin in a weeks time taking my Wife on her first visit. Much has changed but the Soviet Memorial is the same but much improved. Thanks for the memory.
I hope you have a happy return to the city and that your wife enjoys her first Berlin trip.
The Russians claim to have lost over 30,000 soldiers taking Berlin, many of them are buried here. It adds to the weight of the experience.
Considering the Soviets terrorized and murdered civilians along with raping an estimated two million women ranging in ages 7-80 during their celebrated conquest of Germany and Eastern Europe, this should be more like a monument to the victims of the Communist regime. Disgusting how they never answered their own war crimes which were just as heinous as that of the Nazis. If Hitler never turned on Russia they would have been fine with his agenda as long as they continued to benefit from it.
That monument is a disgrace and should be torn down. If you disagree, do your homework on the topic. It will horrify you.
War is hell here on earth. Each army committed acts of revenge on the least. So many died,on all sides. All classes and gender. Still,we remember for their sacrifice n family loss. If we cannot respect the living, then respect their memories of love ones gone