Germany / Monument

Soviet Memorial Treptow


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The Soviet War Memorial in Treptow Park is the largest war memorial in Berlin and indeed in Germany today. The imposing figure on top of the mausoleum depicts a soldier carrying a rescued German child. The memorial honours the approximately 80 000 Soviet soldiers killed during the conquest of Berlin.

Three big Soviet memorials were erected in Berlin after the Second World War, which not only serve as memorials, but also as war cemeteries. The facility in the Treptow Park is the largest of the Soviet memorials in Berlin and with 100 000 square metres the largest of its kind in Germany. It is a memorial for the 80 000 Soviet soldiers killed during the conquest of Berlin in the Second World War.

After the war a competition was announced to design the Treptow Memorial Park. From 33 entries a hybrid of the submissions of architect Jakow Belopolski, sculptor Jewgeni Wutschetitsch, painter Alexander Gorpenko and engineer Sarra Walerius was chosen. The facility, also serving as a cemetery for 5 000 Soviet soldiers, was built between 1946 and 1948 on the site of a large playing and sports field. 40.000 cubic metres of granite were used in the construction.

Memorial slabs and frescos depicting the course of the war are arranged in long tiers of straight lines. The imposing figure on top of the mausoleum shows a soldier carrying a rescued German child. When Russian troops withdrew from Berlin in 1994, they bid farewell to the city with a military parade at the Soviet War Memorial in Treptow.

Soviet War Memorial Treptow, Puschkinallee, Berlin, Allemagne