Sowjetisches Ehrenmal Treptower Park

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.