Soviet Soviet war memorials

[Bryan]

Some Soviet war memorials

Berlin

Treptower Park

Скульптор Е. П. Вучетич, архитектор Я. Б. Белопольский. Открыт 8 мая 1949 года. Высота ? 12 метров.

Berlin - Tiergarten

Монумент советским воинам в Шенхольцер-Хайде

Кладбище-Мавзолей советских воинов

Памятник советско-польскому братству по оружию

Мемориальное кладбище и памятник на горе Славин

[Bryan]

Воинское кладбище в парке Херэстреу

[Bryan]

[Bryan]

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Bryan,

many thanks for the great photographs .

Please can you put more detailed English explainations to the scans .

I could help you with the memorials located in Austria - I have a comprehensive guide of them in my bookshelf .

Specially in Austria the Soviet War Memorials and graveyards are rather well kept, due to an obligation of the Austrian State towards Russia as the legal successor of the Soviet Union.

Best regards

Christian

BTW: It's really a shame and disgrace to the soldiers, who gave their life for the liberation of Europe, what happened (and still happens ) to some Soviet Memorials in Ex-Soviet-States and Ex-Socialist-States .

Edited May 17, 2007 by Christian Zulus

[hunyadi]

Hi Soviet -

In post #4 you have second photo - the Freedom Square "szabadsag ter" - this is the war memorial for the "Liberation of Hungary". Interestingly enough, this is the Only memorial that was allowed to remain within the city limits that still bore the star, crossed hammer / sycle theme. As a jab for the cold war the story goes the memorial was purposly built right next to the American Embassy - where it remains today. The third, fourth and fifth photo are from "Statue Park". Story goes that after the government change the old statues were hauled outside the city limits to a dump site. Apparently there were some very upset communist / socialists about this event so they got the funding and got 'capitalist' - they turned it into a tourist attraction with a bus that runs out there just about every hour. Photo three is the "Liberator" (as memory recalls right now). This statue was under the Citadel Freedom Statue that commemorated the liberation of Budpaest. The Citadel Freedom Statue is an interesting bit as the sculptor was commissioned to create a memorial for the son of Admiral Horhty who died in a plane accident on the Eastern Front. Apparently he designed a woman holding a propeller high above her head. After the communists took over he was commisioned to create the Freedom Statue - later after the design was revealed jealious friends reported him to the secret police for making the simple modification to the statue he had designed during the war. When the polie arrived at his studio they demanded to see the Horhty commissioned model. Somehow he convinced the police that the model was in storage somewhere and to return within an hour and he would find it by then. The police left and as the legend goes he created the 'original' Horthy statue - still with wet clay on it for the police when they returned.

Edited May 17, 2007 by hunyadi

[Ed_Haynes]

A nice thread, a bit chaotic for me to sort out, but worth the extra effort (too mant images per post and too little text per post). I might add a few too.

[Christian Zulus]

Gentlemen,

it's an rather interesting aspect, that specially states (Hungary & Estonia) with a Finno-Ugric population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Ugric_peoples are not so fond of Soviet War Memorials .

What might be the reasons ?

Both countries - Hungary & Estonia - showed through the history a tendency to more or less authoritarian regimes. Even in the old k & k. Empire the Austrian part of the Empire had been much more liberal towards the different ethnic populations, than the Hungarian part, where a policy of "Magyarization" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magyarization had been enforced.

Best regards

Christian

[Sergey]

And there is also such . Wood road near to Rzhev

[Sergey]

On the tablet it is written. Here are buried seven soldier of Red Аrmy of victims in this area. One of them Benza Alexander Mihajlovich from Altay region which has born in village Stolbovo .

Eternal to you memory .