Victims of Communism Memorial, Memorial statue near Union Station, Washington D.C., United States
The Victims of Communism Memorial is a monument in Washington D.C. near Union Station, where Massachusetts Avenue, New Jersey Avenue, and G Street Northwest meet. The bronze Goddess of Democracy rises ten feet high and holds a torch in her outstretched arms above a small plaza with benches and landscaped greenery.
President George W. Bush dedicated the monument on June 12, 2007, marking the anniversary of Ronald Reagan's Berlin Wall speech. This ceremony tied the monument to the legacy of the Cold War and honored the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe.
Inscriptions around the monument pay tribute to those who suffered under communist regimes worldwide, and visitors notice messages highlighting the struggle for freedom in many nations. People often leave flowers or pause quietly while reading the names and figures that recall the lives lost under authoritarian rule.
Visitors can reach the site most easily by taking the Metro Red Line to Union Station or walking from the office districts north of the Capitol. The monument sits at a busy intersection, so watch for traffic when crossing the street to get a closer view.
The statue replicates the Goddess of Democracy that students built during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing. That original figure was destroyed by tanks, but the Washington monument preserves its form and its symbol of peaceful resistance.
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