Monument to the victims of the Battle of Stalingrad

Photos

  • Памятник жертвам Сталинградской битвы. Photo 1
  • Памятник жертвам Сталинградской битвы. Photo 2

Description

On the outskirts of the village of Peschanka, the site of heavy battles of 1942–1943, stands an unusual structure - a monument to all the victims of the Battle of Stalingrad. This is a strange structure in appearance; at first glance it is difficult to identify it as a monument. However, as you approach, you can see signs of a memorial: a tombstone with a cross, flowers, wreaths... The sharp outline of rusty steel sheets resembles one of the shell fragments, perhaps left over from the war and now rising from the ground. Local residents call this unusual monument “the thorn.”

The monument to all victims of the Battle of Stalingrad was erected on June 8, 1996 with funds from Austrian citizens. The public organizations "Austrian Black Cross" and "Committee for 50 Years of Stalingrad" raised funds in 1992–1993.

The monument, designed by the Austrian architect Johann Boyle, looks deliberately simple and crude. A sharp 10-meter "spike" made of ordinary steel, subject to rust, symbolizes the tools and materials of war in all their cruelty. This symbol leans towards a tombstone with a Catholic cross.

On the granite slab located nearby, a message is engraved in German and Russian: “This monument is dedicated to all the victims of the Battle of Stalingrad 1942–43. It recalls the suffering of the soldiers and civilians who fell here. For those who fell here and died in captivity from all countries, We pray for eternal peace in the Russian land."

Although the monument is often associated with Austrians who died during the wars, it pays tribute to all victims, regardless of nationality or affiliation with the warring parties.

The village of Peschanka itself remains a place of memory and respect for the past. Trenches, artillery caponiers and other remains of military structures are still visible in the area. And in the immediate vicinity of the monument there are mass graves of Soviet soldiers. In 1942, Peschanka witnessed heavy battles, and today in its vicinity stands this symbol of eternal memory of those events.

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