Treptow Soviet Memorial

Berlin, Germany

Three great Soviet memorials were erected in Berlin after the war, which not only serve as memorials, but also as war cemeteries. The facility in the Treptower Park is the central memorial and with 100,000 square metres the largest of its kind in Germany. The facility, also serving as cemetery for 5,000 Soviet solders, was built between 1946 and 1948 on the site of a large playing and sports field. 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. It is a memorial for the app. 80,000 Red Army soldiers killed during the conquest of Berlin in World War II. 40,000 cubic metres of granite were used in the construction. Aside from the war cemetery in Niederschönhausen, the facility is the largest Soviet war cemetery in Germany as well as the largest anti-fascist memorial in Western Europe.

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Address

Puschkinallee 36, Berlin, Germany
See all sites in Berlin

Details

Founded: 1946-1948
Category: Statues in Germany
Historical period: Cold War and Separation (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.visitberlin.de

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Brandenburg Gate (7,2 km)
Berlin Cathedral (6 km)
Altes Museum (6,2 km)
Neues Museum (6,3 km)
Reichstag Building (7,4 km)
Alte Nationalgalerie (6,3 km)
Pergamon Museum (6,4 km)
DDR Museum (6 km)
Holocaust Memorial (7 km)


Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (9,5 km)
Charlottenburg Palace (12,5 km)
Sanssouci Palace (30,8 km)
Spandau Citadel (18,6 km)
New Palace (32,3 km)
New Chambers (31 km)
Church of Peace (30,6 km)
Bellevue Palace (8,8 km)
Orangery Palace (31,3 km)

User Reviews

Migue Ahedo (3 months ago)
Amazing. Definitely a place to visit to understand history. Mystic. A jewel.
Jo Lee (4 months ago)
needs to be respected an kept in mind that russians died to deny occupation by gernans. also you might have a look behind the front: a silent garden to stay
jeremy bouchat (5 months ago)
Very impressive site. It was freezing in December when I went. Nothing much in English but glad I went to see this.
Angela Joya (8 months ago)
This is such an important piece of history that not only reminds about us all about solidarity but also of sacrifice of one people for another group. It is also important to remember that while Hollywood gives all credit to America for the defeat of fascism, it was the Russians who actually lost millions in fighting fascism. #Respect
Kyle Campbell (8 months ago)
Interesting. Probably a good idea to read up on the rapacious, cruel history of the Russian Red Army's advance into Berlin before going here. That will help you find it ironic as well as moving, and also understand how nations even to this day frame their version of history for specific purposes. The guards were modeled after a grandfather and grandson who took part in the advance and occupation. The monument is a tapestry of truth and falsehoods. Reminds me of modern politics.
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Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

In 1986 the Porta Nigra was designated a World Heritage Site, along with other Roman monuments in Trier and its surroundings. The modern appearance of the Porta Nigra goes back almost unchanged to the reconstruction ordered by Napoleon. At the south side of the Porta Nigra, remains of Roman columns line the last 100 m of the street leading to the gate. Positioned where they had stood in Roman times, they give a slight impression of the aspect of the original Roman street that was lined with colonnades. The Porta Nigra, including the upper floors, is open to visitors.

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