In Vienna unveiled a monument to Soviet prisoners of war
VIENNA, 22 Jun — RIA Novosti. Memorial stele to the victims of Soviet prisoners of war opened Thursday, the Day of memory and grief at the Central cemetery in Vienna.
The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Russia in Austria Dmitry lubinsky, the ambassadors of Armenia and Belarus Elena Kupchina and Deputy foreign Minister Arman Kirakossian, Executive Director of the Russian military historical society (RVIA) Vladislav Kononov and many others.
Black with Golden obelisk designed by sculptor Denis Stretovich tenths installed at the cemetery gate, the stele stands at 3.6 meters and is decorated with a stylized star on top and with inscriptions in Russian and German: “Here lie Soviet POWs who died in 1941-1945” and “Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten”.
A small miracle
According to the Ambassador of lyubinskiy, more than 80 thousand who died in the great Patriotic war of the Soviet citizens are buried in Austrian soil.
“Here, at the gate number 10 of the Central cemetery of Vienna buried 200 citizens from different republics of the former USSR. Thanks to the hard work, as we say, on a voluntary basis, Russian and Austrian activists have worked their magic, restoring 183 name of the 200, and I have no doubt that work will continue,” —said the Russian diplomat.
He added that for decades these people were thought to be lost, “and now their descendants, relatives have the opportunity to obtain reliable information about their tragic fate.”
In turn, the representative of the Austrian Ministry of internal Affairs Elizabeth Slaha in his speech added that because the opposite of indifference is memory, “today’s event for us is more than just the opening of the monument, more than a tribute to the fallen during the Nazi regime.”
Today we create the place of remembrance. This monument is understood as a symbol of peace, remembrance and reminder that this will not happen again.Elizabeth Sleeprelated the Austrian Ministry of the interior
Live in memory of the fallen
According to Kononova, “the erection of this monument is a visible proof of how and who freed Europe from Nazism, fascism, the forces that engulfed Europe in the early 30-ies of the last century.”
On behalf of RVIA, he thanked all those involved in the implementation of the project — the Embassy of the Russian Federation, public organizations of Austria and many people. He presented honorary badges to the members of the RVIA two citizens of Austria, whose efforts had restored the names of those buried Soviet citizens — employee research center “Memory” Alexandra Kolb and assistant historian Peter Sixs, which for many years holds in Austria the search and reburial of Soviet citizens, — chief editor of the Austrian magazine “Come on!” Julia EGGER.
He assured them that all found their names will be subsequently recorded on the additional pylons around the obelisk.
As told EGGER RIA Novosti, they discovered the graves have closed currently the tenth gate of the cemetery did not have a primary document, therefore, the names shall rest there, had to install through the archives, what has helped the Ministry of internal Affairs of Austria, providing data on the test tunnel in this almost leveling of the cemetery. The work took about a year. “Found that these people worked in the military enterprises of Vienna. They were shot and killed in the hospital or during transport,” she said. According to the source Agency, at present, only four families out of 183 failed to notify the place of burial.
The first obelisk
The monument in front of the opening was sanctified by the senior priest of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Vienna, Archpriest Vladimir tyschuk, and then, after removing the cover, to the foot of the monument was covered with flowers and wreaths.
Kononov had previously told RIA Novosti that the same monuments, RVIA sets in Russia, in Austria this is the first obelisk..
RVIA within two years of implementing a programme for the erection of monuments to the unknown soldier or known graves. Currently, almost 30 regions of Russia set such monuments in the shape of a soldier or an obelisk.