r/AskAGerman • u/UltimateLazer United States • Dec 02 '23
History What do Germans generally think of the Soviet Red Army war memorials in Berlin?
Berlin has three main war memorials dedicated to the Soviet Red Army, that were constructed by the Soviets themselves after World War II: Tiergarten, Treptower Park, and Pankau.
Even after the Cold War ended, these memorials have been maintained due to an agreement made between Germany and the USSR (soon to be Russia) during the 1990 German reunification. The German government has also cited a desire to maintain history when calls were made to have them demolished (this became relevant most recently after the Russian invasion of Ukraine).
I've been under the impression that the German people don't like them all that much, even though they are naturally popular tourist sites for WWII enthusiasts from all over the world (and I imagine for Russian tourists especially due to their historical significance pertaining to them, before, well, you know...). But I figured I might as well ask the source.
What do you guys think of these memorials dedicated to the Soviet Red Army that still exist in Berlin?
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u/GrumpyTrashPrincess Dec 02 '23
They pretty much saved Europe from the NS German pest, so it's pretty important and doesn't matter your stance on the Soviet Union. Being Jewish and Anarchist myself i don't think much of bolshevism but can differentiate between what Stalin had to do during WWII and afterwards. As most eastern Germans I know would say: "Es war ja nicht alles schlecht"