Roland Poppensieker

The important east-west connecting road Dudenstraße is the border between the Kreuzberg and Tempelhof neighbourhoods. Standing a block from Tempelhof Airport, one can look down the small side street Burgherrenstraße to where that street ends in front of an originally four-story house, to which a fifth story was added in 1982. This is Schulenburgring 2.Built in 1912 under the direction of the Berlin architect Franz Werner, the building made world history in early May 1945. From 27 April until 4 May, the Soviet 8th Guards Army under the command of General Vasily Chuikov established its headquarters on the ground floor. On the first floor the general staff of the 1st Guards Tank Army was accommodated.In the late morning of 2 May, General Helmuth Weidling, commander of the German 56th Panzer Corps and the last commander of the Berlin Defence District, reached the Schulenburgring. In the ground floor apartment of Mrs. Anni Goebels, Weidling signed the surrender order to the Berlin garrison, after which the hostilities were terminated.Six days later, the unconditional surrender of the German forces was signed in Berlin-Karlshorst. With this surrender, the Second World War ended in Europe. A memorial plaque at the house and a committed group of residents keep the memory of this historic place alive.

Germany

Early May 1945 Schulenburgring 2 was a focal point of world history. In this building Soviet General Vasily Chuikov housed his headquarters. German General Helmuth Weidling, the commander of the Berlin garrison, signed the surrender order on the ground floor of the building.

The important east-west connecting road Dudenstraße is the border between the Kreuzberg and Tempelhof neighborhoods. Standing a block from Tempelhof Airport, one can look down the small side street Burgherrenstraße to where that street ends in front of an originally four-story house, to which a fifth story was added in 1982. It is Schulenburgring 2.

Built in 1912 under the direction of the Berlin architect Franz Werner, the building made world history in early May 1945. From 27 April until 4 May the Soviet 8th Guards Army under the command of General Vasily Chuikov established its headquarters on the ground floor. On the first floor the general staff of the 1st Guards Tank Army was accommodated.

In the late morning of 2 May, General Helmuth Weidling, commander of the German 56th Panzer Corps and the last commander of the Berlin Defence District, reached the Schulenburgring. In the ground floor apartment of Mrs. Anni Goebels, Weidling signed the surrender order to the Berlin garrison, after which the hostilities were terminated. Six days later, the unconditional surrender of the German forces was signed in Berlin-Karlshorst. With this surrender, the Second World War ended in Europe.

A memorial plaque at the house and a committed group of residents keep the memory of this historic place alive.

Gedenktafel Schulenburgring 2

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