The Soviet War memorial in Tiergarten

Just a short walk from the most famous monument in Berlin the Brandenburger Tor you will find a Soviet War memorial. It is located in the middle of the biggest park in central Berlin the Tiergarten. The location was in the British zone of the allied Berlin but all the allied accepted the Soviet building the monument at this location.

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The monument is fairly small and is partly covered by the trees in the Tiergarten until you get closer to it. Then you will see the monument next to the street and the Red Army tanks standing on pillars below the monument itself. The Tanks took part in the final Battle of Berlin. The monument is the final resting place for 2,000 of the 80,000 Soviet troops who died during the final battle of Berlin. t

The monument is built by reusing old stones from the German Reichstag and other government building which were more or less destroyed after the battle of Berlin at the end of World War II. During the time of the cold war the monument was still administered by the Soviet Union which posted an honor guard at the location despite it being in the British sector of Berlin.

During the cold war and later the monument has been somewhat controversial considering the citizen of West Berlin didn’t really see the Soviet troops as liberators and the protectors of freedom – but as oppressors of the east. It is a bit noteworthy the street in front of the memorial is named Strasse des 17. Juni – in memory of the East German rising in 1953 which was crushed by police brutality on the 17 June.

The monument isn’t the biggest Soviet war memorial you will find – not even in Berlin – but it is the easiest accessible memorial since it is only 5 minutes’ walk from the Brandenburger Tor or the parliament. So if you like to see a Soviet memorial this is an easy destination if you are in Berlin.