The second largest park in Berlin is a witness to many events that took place in Germany and Europe over the course of a century. Spread out on the river bank of the Spree, it remembers both calm and serene times, and exciting anti-fascist rallies, inspired speeches by Clara Zetkin, cruel episodes of the Second World War and the collapse of Hitler's plans. Now Treptow Park in the imagination of the whole world is associated with the Memorial to Soviet soldiers who liberated Europe from the fascist plague.
The history of the famous park in Berlin
Even F. I. Tyutchev, while in the diplomatic service in Germany, noted how much attention the Germans pay to gardens and other green spaces, how they carefully preserve the flora and increase it. Such was Gustav Meyer, according to whose project Treptow Park was created on the site of the former Boucher apple orchard. A talented designer who cares about the prosperity of the city, planned the unique territory of the future park and put a lot of effort into bringing the project to life. He did not live to see the opening of the park in 1888, taking part only in laying it out, but Mayer's landscape design was completely preserved. Already in the 50s of the 20th century, a magnificent garden of roses (25 thousand bushes) and sunflowers was laid.
Treptow Park – a favorite place for leisure
Beautiful alleys, ponds, fountains, a rose garden, sports grounds are located here in accordance with the design of a landscape engineer. As a sign of grateful memory, his bust, with a raised head, as if peering into a park perspective, is installed under the canopy of trees, in a cozy corner of one of the alleys. After the opening, the townspeople immediately fell in love with the park, where you can walk under the shade of sprawling lindens and oaks, ride boats along the Spree, eat ice cream in a cafe, and feed the fish in the pond. Various competitions were organized on the sports grounds, competitions were organized. Revolutionary-minded fighters for freedom and justice gathered here, speeches by German Marxists were heard, and the feminist-minded Clara Zetkin proclaimed the idea of holding Women's Day.
It is no coincidence that this place was chosen to perpetuate the grateful memory of the Soviet soldiers-liberators, who cleansed Europe from the vices of fascism.
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Soldiers Memorial
Created by the joint efforts of architects, sculptors and designers, the memorial complex to the glory of the Russian soldier is the largest and most majestic military monument outside of Russia. In terms of worldwide fame and scale, it is not inferior to the Mamaev Kurgan memorial in Volgograd (former Stalingrad). Treptow Park is a sacred place for both Russians and Europeans, because almost 7,000 Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for Berlin are buried in its land. Where, if not here, above the sacrificial ashes of the saviors of a foreign country, is a grandiose structure destined to stand, embodying in granite the ideas of humanism and the victory of good over evil?!
A Brief History of the Creation of the Treptower Park Memorial
When the site of the complex was approved, the government of the USSR issued a decree on the competitive creation of the best project, as a result, the works of the architect Yakov Belopoltsev and the young sculptor Evgeny Vuchetich turned out to be such. Large-scale work began on the selected site of the park and on the sculptural creations of the memorial. 60 German sculptors, 200 stonemasons, 1200 ordinary workers were mobilized. Granite from the former Nazi Reich Chancellery was widely used in the construction of the memorial. For the main sculpture of a Soviet warrior, with a sword in one hand and a little girl in the other, among the SA soldiers, Vuchetich chose a prototype of a warrior in the person of Sergeant Nikolai Masalov, who actually saved a German girl who found herself in a tragic situation during the shelling.
The history of the monument to the Liberator Soldier
A three-year-old child was crying over her murdered mother, and this mournful cry, coming from the destroyed house, was heard by the soldiers in the intervals between artillery salvos. Masalov, according to the memoirs of Marshal Chuikov, at the risk of being killed, rushed into the ruins and pulled out the trembling girl. During the rescue operation, he was injured. In the memoirs of the fighters who liberated Berlin, such cases were mentioned more than once, so the impressive monument to the warrior-savior of children is fully justified. Two more men of athletic build served as a sculptor in kind: Ivan Odarchenko and Viktor Gunaz, a German girl and the daughter of the commandant of Berlin, Sveta Kotikova, who later replaced her.
Sculptural symbols of the main monument
The memorial to the warrior-liberator is a symbol of a courageous soldier, a generalized image of a humane defender, ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of a child's life. The gesture of a soldier who nailed a fascist swastika with a sword is also symbolic, like St. George, who pierced the insidious Serpent with a spear. Moreover, the sculptor sculpted the sword by analogy with the authentic sword of Prince Vsevolod of Pskov, who won many victories over his enemies. On his sword, which has survived to this day, the inscription is squeezed out: “I will not yield my honor to anyone.” Vuchetich chose the prince's sword, despite objections, as a symbol of Russian weapons, reliable protection of his native land, remembering the catchphrase: “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword.” The defenseless figure of a girl is also symbolic, trustingly clinging to the broad chest of a mighty warrior, designed to ensure the cloudless happiness of all children,
The monument is installed on a grave hill, on a high white pedestal, with the Room of Memory and Sorrow located inside, in which there is a parchment tome in a scarlet velvet binding with the names and surnames of all those buried in a mass grave.
Unique interiors of the Memorial Room
The walls of the memorial room are covered with mosaic paintings depicting representatives of the fraternal republics laying commemorative wreaths at the graves of fallen soldiers of different nationalities. But the room is always full of natural wreaths and flowers brought by Russian tourists and emigrants. The ceiling is decorated with a real work of applied art – a symbolic chandelier – the Order of Victory, made of magnificent rubies and rock crystals sparkling with diamond shine.
Sculptures-monuments of the memorial complex
A memorial field with 5 mass graves, marble sarcophagi opens up to the gaze of a granite warrior; with Eternal Flame burning in granite bowls. The sad sarcophagi are engraved with excerpts from the statements of Stalin, the commander of the great Victory, which later provoked objections from German officials. But their demand was considered unfounded and, according to the framework of the agreement, the words of the “father of nations” forever remained a spiritual particle of the memorial.
At the entrance there are symbolic gates in the form of 2 half-mast banners made of red granite, under which there are sculptural images of a young and old soldier, frozen in a mournful kneeling pose.
An expressive sculpture “Grieving Mother” is installed in front of the entrance, when you look at it, tears well up in your eyes: so much hopeless grief and maternal love is captured in a stunningly lively figure of a woman with a mournfully bowed head. She “sits”, pressing one hand to her heart, and the other leans on the pedestal, as if looking for support in order to adequately survive the sad loss of her sons. The disturbing soul “granite mother” symbolizes all the mothers of the world, whose sons died in wars. An alley of Russian birch trees stretches on both sides of the memorial to the Liberator Soldier as a symbolic connection between mother and son-soldier.
The sculpture of a grieving Soviet soldier is located on a pedestal of white granite slabs against the backdrop of a red granite obelisk. In the bronze figure of a warrior kneeling; in the lowered head, the removed helmet, one feels sadness for the dead comrades and a mournful protest against the cruel senselessness of the war. But in the firm gesture of his hand, squeezing the lowered machine gun, in the whole courageous figure and inner restraint, one senses the potential of a force that can be reborn if necessary.
Memorial Status
The grand opening of the grandiose Memorial complex took place on the eve of Victory Day on May 9, 1949 in the presence of representatives of the official authorities of the Soviet Union and Germany, participants in the liberation of Berlin. Hundreds of Berliners came to Treptow Park that day to bow to the ingenious sculptural sculptures that embodied the tragedy of war and the greatness of the Victory. Soon, an agreement was concluded between the states without a statute of limitations, according to which the memorial was transferred under the jurisdiction of the Berlin authorities.
the treaties oblige them to maintain proper order, to carry out the necessary restoration work and not to change anything on the memorial square without agreement with the representatives of the USSR. Not so long ago, the monument to the warrior-liberator was restored, and the ideal order is maintained around. Now Russians, Jews living in Germany, Russian tourists and anti-fascists from all over the world come here on memorable dates. When visiting the Memorial, the words of Robert Rozhdestvensky are recalled: “People, remember, in years, in centuries, remember that this will never happen again, remember!”
Treptow Park today
He continues to live his measured life: in spring, summer and early autumn, rides are still working here, tourists and the local public are walking along the cozy alleys. Parents come with their children, for whom a playground with dizzying slides, entertaining towers and other attractions is equipped. There are many who want to make boat trips on the water surface of the Spree: boats are rented at the park's boat station.
Archenhold Observatory
and Berliners enjoy visiting the local Archenhold observatory, which has a powerful telescope with strong lenses. This is the oldest and largest public observatory in Berlin, the opening of which was timed to coincide with the traveling industrial exhibition on May 1, 1896. At first it was a wooden building with a telescope placed in it. In 1908, the dilapidated building was removed and an impressive building of classical architecture was built.
The first report on the theory of relativity made by Einstein took place in it on June 2, 1915. Later, the observatory turned into a whole complex equipped with modern equipment due to the attached planetarium buildings, a lecture hall and educational buildings. Together with the German Technical Museum, the observatory conducts educational and recreational activities, public lectures, and correspondence planetary travel.
Music Festival in Treptower Park
The American alternative music festival Lollapalooza, born in 1991 in Chicago, is scheduled to take place in Treptow Park on September 10-11, 2016. A year ago, it was held on the empty territory of Tempelhof Airport. Due to the influx of refugees, the inactive terminal building was given to them, so Treptow Park was chosen as the venue for the festival.
Given the concern of the Russian Foreign Ministry in this regard, the organizers of the festival will take measures to protect the Memorial from vandalism and desecration: its territory will be fenced with a high fence. Mass events of a wide scale were repeatedly held in the park, which did not harm the sacred place for Russians. I would like to believe that the upcoming festival will be an interesting, joyful event for everyone without negative consequences.
How to get to the park
You can get to the park:
Walk from the center of Berlin to the park – half an hour.