The Tannenberg Memorial (notice the lion)
The Tannenberg Memorial was a huge structure with eight 67 feet high towers located in Hohenstein (Ostpreußen) (present Olsztynek, Poland) (map). Completed in 1927 it was build on a hilltop in a shape reminiscent of the castles of the Teutonic Knights and influenced by Stonehenge and by emperor Frederick II's Castel del Monte.
The Tannenberg Memorial
It commemorated the fallen German soldiers of the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914. In 1934 president Hindenburg (former commander in the battle) was buried over here. As the Russians approached in 1945, German troops removed Hindenburg's remains and partly demolished the structures.
The remains (source)
In the 1950s the Polish authorities leveled the site, but several remnants of the structure can still be seen elsewhere. Among these is the perfectly preserved sculpted lion, which once topped a twenty-foot pillar at the entrance to the monument and now is displayed in the town square in nearby Olsztynek.
The lion from the first photo, now at display at the Olsztynek town square
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A very dramatic structure, in a way it's a shame it's gone as it's such a strong and imposing monument.
ReplyDeleteImportant report, thank You.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not all German things were destroyed, in that area. Look at this, for example.
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An incredible structure, it looks like some ancient prison.
ReplyDeleteThat the Polish people of these monuments think ?? the common people who think they are being ?, German Monuments ... terrible doubt we have in South America on these stories ...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/hernancometti
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