Soviet War Memorial Schönholzer Heide, War memorial and cemetery in Pankow, Germany.
The Soviet War Memorial in Schönholzer Heide is a 27,500 m² cemetery and memorial in Pankow, Berlin. Its main axis leads to a 33.5-metre obelisk of syenite, before which stands a bronze statue of Mother Russia mourning her fallen son. Eight burial chambers flank the axis, and a wall carries 100 bronze tablets with names, ranks and birth years.
Built between May 1947 and November 1949 in the northwestern part of Schönholzer Heide, a park that had held a forced labor camp during the war, the memorial was designed by Soviet architects K. Solovyov, M. Belaventsev, V. Korolyov and sculptor Ivan Pershudchev. It is one of three Soviet memorials in Berlin, alongside those in the Tiergarten and Treptower Park. After restoration costing about 10.35 million euros, it reopened on 13 August 2013.
The memorial also commemorates Soviet prisoners of war and concentration camp victims, which is unusual because under Stalin prisoners of war were widely regarded as potential collaborators. A memorial stone behind the obelisk marks the camp victims, and a large quotation by Stalin is part of the grounds.
The entrance is located on Germanenstrasse with parking available nearby for visitors. Schönholz S-Bahn station sits directly adjacent to the grounds, making it the easiest way to arrive.
The memorial also commemorates Soviet prisoners of war and concentration camp victims, marked by a stone behind the obelisk. This is unusual, since under Stalin prisoners of war were widely treated as potential collaborators. A 1977 Deutsche Post stamp designed by Joachim Rieß showed the memorial.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,257 contributors worldwide.
