Ehrenmal für Sowjetsoldaten, War cemetery and memorial at Neuer Markt, Stralsund, Germany.
The Ehrenmal für Sowjetsoldaten is a war memorial on Neuer Markt in Stralsund, consisting of granite plates, bronze reliefs, and a red granite obelisk topped with the Soviet state emblem. The site contains 76 individual graves of Soviet soldiers arranged in rows in front of St. Mary's Church.
The memorial was built after World War II when Soviet troops entered Stralsund on May 1, 1945, and the city became part of the Soviet occupation zone. It marks the place where Soviet soldiers died during the fighting and occupation.
The memorial stands on Neuer Markt, a central square in the old town, where it serves as a place of remembrance today. Visitors pass by to read the names of fallen soldiers and leave flowers.
The memorial occupies the tree-lined northern section of Neuer Markt, directly in front of the north transept of St. Mary's Church. It lies within the old town core listed by UNESCO as part of the Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar, and is registered as monument number 607. A larger granite plate in front of the obelisk bears an inscription that is no longer legible.
The bronze relief was designed by Johannes Friedrich Rogge from Dresden and depicts a Red Army soldier and a civilian shaking hands as a symbol of reconciliation. This artwork is often overlooked despite carrying a deeper meaning about peace and understanding between nations.
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