Treptower Park

Last Thursday the students in my class, Visual Culture (a class that studies the culture of Germany through art, architecture, monuments, photos, ect.) went to the Soviet War Memorial at Treptower Park, formally located in East Berlin when The Wall still existed.

The monument is this huge commemoration to the Soviet men who lost their lives during the Battle of Berlin. This battle, between Germany and the Soviet Union, resulted in the suicide of Adolf Hitler, and ultimately the surrender of Germany 5 days after the battle ended. However, approximately 20,000 Soviet soldiers lost their lives during this battle, 7,000 of which are actually buried at the monument.

This particular monument is designed in a very specific way that is meant to draw the visitor into the area and ultimately lead them to the graves of those who died in battle.

It begins with 2 victory arches (which I failed to get a picture of) along with wide pathways leading to Mother Russia, who is represented as a peasant in mourning.

She is facing her son at the other end of the monument.

However, before you get to her son, you come upon 2 soldiers, kneeling in honor, with flags at half-mast behind them.

The visitor then comes upon a plaque that states in German as well as Russian: The Homeland will never forget its heroes.

Behind this plaque lies five huge plots, containing the graves of 1,000 soldiers each.

Along the sides of the graves are 16 blocks telling the story of the Battle of Berlin through pictures as well as words (8 are in German, while the other 8 are in Russian).

Then finally at the end of the monument is the son of Mother Russia, under who lies another 2,000 soldiers (in one hand he holds a sword, in the other a child, as he stands on top of a crushed swastika).

Many have wondered why Germany/Berlin would choose to keep this monument in place, it is after all honoring Soviet soldiers, the very same who ended up controlling East Berlin. The thing with this is, when Germany was reunited, an agreement was made that none of the preexisting monuments would be removed or torn down. Which makes sense in a way, it is after all honoring people who died fighting the Nazis and were instrumental in Hitler's demise. They specifically weren't around to see what happened afterwards, they weren't involved in the whole East vs West Berlin, so why shouldn't they be honored and remembered?