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6 remnants of the Battle of Berlin

The fierce Battle of Berlin was the final fight at the end of World War II. The bloody confrontation, from mid-April to early May 1945, brought the Nazi regime to its knees and ended World War II.

The Red Army crossed the Oder in mid-April and reached Berlin with loud roars. The Flakturms in Berlin were working overtime, providing shelter to the Berlin population.

The Flakturms are not the only reminders of the heavy battle. Several bridges across the Spree, for instance, were blown up by the German army to slow down the Russian advance. The Brommybrücke is one of the few bridges that was never rebuilt after World War II. In the Spree, one of the pillars is still standing.

Capitulation in Karlshorst

In Karlshorst, deep in the east of Berlin, Germany's signing of the capitulation marked the end of World War II. Outside, several tanks are still lined up with which the Soviets drove into Berlin in 1945. 

Until late 1990, another such tank was displayed on a plinth west of Berlin, the so-called Panzerdenkmal, but it was removed after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Soviet monuments

After the Battle of Berlin ended, the Soviets erected several monuments to honour the fallen soldiers. For instance, in the heart of Berlin, right in front of Brandenburg Gate, the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal appeared.

In Treptower Park, a Soviet cemetery was created. 7,000 Russian soldiers are buried there.

Several activities take place in Berlin every year to mark V-Day.

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