Amidst the solemn hush of Heidefriedhof Cemetery stands the 7. Mai 1945 War Memorial. It’s a stark reminder of a day etched in Dresden’s memory, the day the Red Army marched into the city. The 7. Mai 1945 War Memorial isn’t your typical war memorial. It’s a circular plaza encircled by fourteen imposing columns. Seven of these columns bear the names of cities ravaged by World War II: Coventry, Dresden, Leningrad, Lidice, Oradour, Rotterdam, and Warsaw. On the opposite side, the remaining seven columns list the names of infamous concentration camps: Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Ravensbrück, Sachsenhausen, and Theresienstadt. The 7. Mai 1945 War Memorial was built during the Soviet occupation. A perpetual flame once burned here, a symbol of remembrance. However, this flame was extinguished after German reunification in 1990. A poignant inscription, etched into the memorial, reads: “How many died? Who knows the number? You can see the agony on your wounds of the nameless ones who burned here in the hellfire of the human hand.” Nearby, on a patch of tarmac, lie five prone figures sculpted and covered with a thin material. These figures, seemingly reflecting the devastating bombing of Dresden in February 1945, add another layer of sorrow to this place of remembrance. The 7. Mai 1945 War Memorial serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating impact of war, both on cities and individuals.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to