Russian and German soldiers are buried in close proximity in Rossoschka. They fell in the fierce battle for Stalingrad in the Second World War.
Cemetery description
Rossoschka is located in the middle of the former "Stalingrad Cauldron", 37 kilometers northwest of the city of Volgograd, which was called Stalingrad until 1961 and where one of the largest battles of the Second World War took place.
The German war cemetery blends into the steppe on an area of just under six hectares. The circular complex with a diameter of 150 meters resembles an oversized flat disc laid horizontally on the steppe. The cemetery is divided into two burial grounds. To the left of the access path is the old, now redesigned cemetery, which was laid out by the Wehrmacht during the war for 600 fallen soldiers. The trapezoidal area is surrounded by a natural stone wall. The new part lies to the right. A circular wall made of granite blocks with a surrounding paved path separates the area from the steppe. The names of the German casualties from the cauldron and the area around the former Stalingrad are inscribed on granite plaques.
With his design, Kassel architect Jürgen von Reuß conveys the characteristics of the cultural landscape: the strong wind in winter, the relentless heat in summer, the vastness of the steppe and its silence. The names of almost 120,000 missing and dead are immortalized on large granite blocks. The inauguration of the cubes took place on September 9, 2006. Alongside Sologubovka, Rossoshka has the most visitors in the territory of the former Soviet Union.
Occupancy
61,791 fallen soldiers are buried in Rossoschka. Further burials followed.
History
The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the most famous of the Second World War. In the late summer of 1942, the 6th Army attacked the Russian city. After a counter-offensive by the Red Army in November, up to 300,000 soldiers of the Wehrmacht and its allies were encircled. The German surrender followed in the winter of 1942/1943. More than one million soldiers lost their lives in the fighting.
Special feature
The German war cemetery at Rossoschka was inaugurated in 1999. Prior to this, the Volksbund had financed the construction of a Russian war cemetery, which was opened in 1997 as a reconciliation project. The two sites are only separated by a narrow country road. The cemeteries have very different designs. At the center of the Russian site is a bell tower with the original bell from the village of Rossoschka, which was completely destroyed in the Second World War. Gravestones, mainly of unknown Russian soldiers, are arranged around it. Destroyed steel helmets on granite stones commemorate the approximately 20,000 dead who rest in the semi-circular cemetery.
