The Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Marzahn, which sits on the northwestern end of the Parkfriedhof Marzahn – a large cemetery park in Marzahn – was officially unveiled on the 7th of November 1958. 

The Ehrenmal was designed by the landscape architect Johannes Mielenz and the sculptor Erwin Kobbert (the same sculptor who created the famous Knautsche Hippo Statue in the now abandoned Wernerbad)

The entrance to the memorial is flanked by symbolic flags of red granite lowered to mourning – a design which can also been seen on a much larger scale at the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal in Treptower Park. Along with the flags are two granite stones with the inscription in German:

Ewiger Ruhm den Helden, die für die Freiheit und Unabhängigkeit der sozialistischen Heimat gefallen sind

And in Russian:

Вечная слава героям, павшим за свободу и независимость социалистической родины

Which translates into English:

Eternal glory the heroes who fell for the freedom and independence of the socialist homeland

The center of the memorial consists of a raised ten-meter-high red granite obelisk, topped with a hollowed-out star (which over time has acquired a blue oxidation patina). The base of the Obelisk contains the following inscriptions

In German:

EURE GROSSEN HELDENTATEN SIND UNSTERBLICH

EUER RUHM WIRD JAHRHUNDERTE ÜBERLEBEN

DIE HEIMAT WIRD EUCH STETS IN ERINNERUNG BEHALTEN

And Russian:

ВЕЛИКИЕ ПОДВИГИ ВАШИ БЕССМЕРТИБІ

СЛАВА О ВАС ПЕРЕЖИВЕТ ВЕКА.

ПАМЯТЬО ВАС НАВСЕГДА СОХРАНИТ РОДИНА.

Which Roughly translates into English:

Your heroic deeds are immortal, your fame will last for centuries, your homeland will always remember you.

Off to the side is a pergola (a shaded walkway, passageway, sitting area) with a symbolic urn made of limestone, which contains the ashes of 142 fallen Soviet soldiers. The cemetery was used as the official cemetery of the Soviet Garrison of Berlin between 1945 and 1959. During that time period, 283 Soviet citizens were buried here; 151 Military personnel and 132 civilians (including 54 children).

The soldiers were initially buried at the Schlosspark Biesdorf, but were transferred over to the Memorial in Marzahn in 1957/58. The Officer’s graves are located on the central pathway between roses and dwarf medlars, surrounded by a thuja hedge. The other graves can be found to the left of a path by a hornbeam hedge.

The Parkfriedhof Marzhan is a very large cemetery park, packed with trees, memorials and graves – but in contrast the large lawns and birch trees planted on the edges give the impression of the wide Russian landscape.

The remains of several unknown soviet soldiers were discovered in 1992 and 1993 during construction work in Berlin Mitte and in Lichtenberg, and were buried here with military honors. The Soviet Memorial and cemetery were renovated between 1997 and 1998 – and overall the park area looks very well kept after.

Visiting the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Marzahn may feel somewhat more dark than the other Soviet Memorials in Berlin – mainly due to the juxtapostion of the Forrest like cemetary and the industrial feeling of the Marzahn neighbourhood. Nevertheless, the Soviet Memorial in Marzahn is well worth the visit if one is in the area, as is the Parkfriedhof Marzahn with all its historic graves and memorials. 

The Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Marzahn is one of 12 Soviet War Memorials of Berlin. You can find an overview post here – The Soviet War Memorials of Berlin –  with a condensed history of all Soviet War Memorials in Berlin, or you can click through the list below and read about each Soviet War Memorial individually.

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Address of the Soviet War Memorial Marzahn

Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Marzahn | Soviet War Memorial Marzahn
Wiesenburger Weg 10, 12681 Berlin