Berlin's most impressive monument, built in 1949, is dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who died in the Second World War, especially the 80,000 who fell in the battle for Berlin. A monumental avenue of birch trees leads from the statue of a mourning mother via two massive red granite flags and past 16 marble tombstones (with scenes from the war and quotes by Stalin) to a hill topped with the statue of a Soviet soldier protecting a child while trampling a swastika. The kitsch style and political propaganda don't distract from the sad fact so many young men died, of whom about 7,000 are buried around the memorial grounds.