Sowjetisches Ehrenmal im Treptower Park

Description:

• This imposing communist monument was built in memory of the 20,000 Soviet soldiers who died during the battle for Berlin in 1945. It took 1,200 workers over three years to build (1946-9) and is constructed from the granite which had been previously ordered by the Nazis for their own victory monuments. Located in leafy Treptower Park, the sheer size of the memorial is striking. A broad path leads to the enormous entrance portal, sculpted with lines of grim faced Soviet soldiers. Spread out before you is a 200m-long walkway, decorated with friezes depicting the Red Army's heroic struggle and culminating with a gigantic statue of a sword-wielding Soviet soldier, standing stoically on a plinth bearing friezes of cheerful peasants and workers. The memorial is impressive at any time of year, but is particularly imposing in the winter, when the snow absorbs all sound, lending the area a surreal, awe-striking atmosphere.
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