Seelow Heights Memorial

The museum, built in 1972 and expanded in 1985 with a semicircular entry area, was inspired by Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov's command bunker, which he established on Reitwein Heights and used as a forward command post on 15 and 16 April 1945. The current permanent exhibition, presented in English and German, provides information on the Battle of Seelow Heights, with texts, pictures and sound documentation, as well as expert accounts of the historical events of 1945. It also shows how the biggest battle fought on German soil during the Second World War was incorporated into East German historiography. Parked in front of the museum are large military vehicles and artillery pieces. Situated on the plateau above is the Kerbel Memorial, designed in 1945, together with the military cemetery. The Russian Orthodox cross, dedicated in 2003 and restored in 2013, has consciously been placed on an axis leading to the graves of the fallen Soviet soldiers. From this ‘Place of Rest’, visitors can take in a sweeping view of the Oder Marsh area all the way to Küstrin (Kostrzyn) and the Reitwein Heights. This panorama includes a part of the historical battlefield.