Hidden along the streets of Alt-Hohenschönhausen is a memorial that seems to have been long forgotten by people. This Soviet War Memorial is a grim reminder of the pain and struggles that the Red Army went through when it liberated Berlin from Nazism.
But today, you will find only children playing around since there is a large playground area in front of the Soviet War Memorial and a kindergarten behind it. There are benches, places to play table tennis, some exercise equipment, and big trees around the area. This seems more like a small park between buildings than anything else.
In the winter of 2018, I visited the Soviet Memorial in Alt-Hohenschönhausen while looking for the abandoned Freibad Wernersee. Since I was in this part of the city that I don’t often visit, I decided to be productive and look for more exciting things.
I don’t remember who mentioned this place or where I read about it, but most people forgot it existed. While doing my research, I also found people who consider this memorial to be pure nostalgia and want it to be demolished. Which, personally, feels like a way to diminish the efforts of the Soviet Union during the Second World War.
This small Soviet War Memorial is here to remember the soldier who died during the capture of Hohenschönhausen by the Red Army. This battle happened on April 22nd, 1945, and it was one of the important fights that occurred while troops arrived in Berlin from the east. Soviet units had entered Berlin the day before, and they were faced with desperate German resistance.
I couldn’t find out how many people died in the liberation of Hohenschönhausen. My research pointed to numerous Soviet soldiers, but not a precise number. Either way, this is a way of commemorating those who died fighting Nazi Germany in the eastern part of Berlin on the last day of the Second World War.
I visited this memorial in the middle of winter, and it made everything look even more gloomy. There were dead trees behind the main white wall of the monument and patches of ice and snow mixed with dead leaves on the ground. In the middle of the memorial wall, two soldiers are looking victorious with a woman by their side. On each side, a Soviet Soldier is looking at a Nazi soldier surrendering on its knees.
On each side, you can see a large red plaque with yellow letters that say “Eternal glory the heroes of the Soviet army” in Russian and German. And, in front of it, a massive red star is on the ground.
If you want to visit the Soviet Memorial in Alt-Hohenschönhausen, you might want to take the tram M5 and stop around the Simon-Bolivar-Strasse. You have a few blocks from there to walk, but it’s okay. But remember that this memorial is unlike the one in Treptower Park or Schönholzer Heide.
Since you are in the area, try to visit the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial as well since it’s one of the most important places documenting how East Germany dealt with political prisoners.
The Soviet War Memorial in Alt-Hohenschönhausen
Küstriner Str. 11-14
13055 Berlin
