Take the time to admire Vienna’s Soviet War Memorial, a dramatic monument to the Russian soldiers who died fighting the Nazis during the Battle of Vienna. This monument rises above the Schwarzenbergplatz in the centre of the city, just beyond the plumes of the Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain.
This 39-foot (12-metre) bronze statue of a Russian soldier stands atop a towering column, his helmet and shield glinting. It is also known as the Heldendenkmal der Roten Armee (Heroes Monument of the Red Army) and was constructed in 1945 to commemorate the 17,000 Russian soldiers who died fighting the Nazis in the Battle of Vienna. The intense battle took place over two weeks in April 1945 and ended years of Nazi occupation.
Because of its size, it is best to take your photos from a distance. As you approach, admire the figure of the soldier standing proud on his plinth. In one hand he clutches a Soviet flag and in the other a golden coat of arms. The Schwarzenbergplatz is a busy area of the city and there is often heavy traffic so it may take several minutes to reach on foot.
Step nearer to read the inscriptions at the foot of the plinth. The words, which praise the soldiers for liberating the city from fascism, start with, “Monument to the soldiers of the Soviet Army, who for the liberation of Austria from fascism have fallen...”
Around the statue you will see the semicircular, white-marble colonnade. Note the gilded words around the top of the colonnade giving it a regal air.
The Soviet War Memorial is located at the southern end of the Schwarzenbergplatz in central Vienna. Take the tram to the Schwarzbergenplatz stop or walk from nearby Karlsplatz or Rennweg.
