Monumental buildings are not unknown to us who live in Berlin. The remnants of socialist governments, which today seem unreal and oppressive and reminiscent of past times.
One of these remnants in Bratislava is the Monumental war memorial Slavín. The memorial Slavín was erected in 1960 in memory of 6845 fallen Soviet soldiers, who died during the liberation of Bratislava in April 1945. They have also been buried here.
Standing tall above the city at a total of 52 meters, it is the largest war memorial monument in Central Europe. It is located on a mountain with a view of Bratislava Castle and almost the entire city area. The central square of the complex is dominated by a ceremonial hall, which is accessed by an impressive door with a bronze relief. In the hall are statues, inscriptions and a sarcophagus, placed there as a symbol for the dead.
On top of the hall, a 39.5 meter high granite pylon was built, topped with a statue of a soldier hoisting up a flag for the liberated country, stamping down a swastika, the sign of the national socialism.
A staircase leads from the central square to the cemetery with six mass graves and over 250 individual tombs.
A park surrounds the monument Slavín and from the east terrace, you can enjoy an excellent view over the city.
To me, the visit to this monument felt depressing. Not because of the graves in the cemetery, but because of the architecture, which reminds me of the Soviet dictatorship in the Eastern Bloc countries, their large squares and representative buildings. I still enjoyed the nice view over the city and I think this place should definitely be visited.
Address:
Slavín 1
81104 Bratislava
Opening hours:
Monday – Sunday: all day
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