Sologubovka Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Sologubovka Cemetery is a German war cemetery and the final resting place of over 30,000 German war dead from World War II
. Located 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) southeast of St. Petersburg in northwestern Russia
, it has a planned capacity for a further 50,000 new burials of previously lost German war dead.
by the German War Graves Commission
, which is tasked with restoring and maintaining the graves of German soldiers from both world wars. Most of the fallen soldiers remained lost or unknown for over forty years, their graves destroyed, abandoned or simply unknown.
veterans, but local residents showed appreciation for the refurbishment of the church and road improvements provided by Germany. More than 700,000 Soviets died during the Battle of Leningrad near Sologubovka, presumably in combat with those Germans buried here. Lingering anti-German sentiment over the war in general and the fact that the USSR frequently did not bury its own war dead was mentioned in the press, but no protests or overt hostility towards the new German presence was reported.
sponsors events and exhibitions at Sologubovka Cemetery to heighten awareness of the missing soldiers from World War II and to facilitate mutual German-Russian understanding and recognition of war dead. The German War Graves Commission
estimates there are still many thousands of German unmarked war graves throughout Russia and areas of the former Eastern Front
but has successfully located and reinterred over 600,000 in German sponsored cemeteries like Sologubovka since the end of the Cold War
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Located 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) southeast of St. Petersburg in northwestern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, it has a planned capacity for a further 50,000 new burials of previously lost German war dead.
History
In September 2000, the Sologubovka Cemetery was opened in the presence of German and Russian officials, including many German veterans hoping to find lost comrades. The cemetery is one of dozens opened or refurbished since the end of the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
by the German War Graves Commission
German War Graves Commission
The German War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa...
, which is tasked with restoring and maintaining the graves of German soldiers from both world wars. Most of the fallen soldiers remained lost or unknown for over forty years, their graves destroyed, abandoned or simply unknown.
Russian sentiment
The cemetery's opening ceremony was boycotted by most Russian World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans, but local residents showed appreciation for the refurbishment of the church and road improvements provided by Germany. More than 700,000 Soviets died during the Battle of Leningrad near Sologubovka, presumably in combat with those Germans buried here. Lingering anti-German sentiment over the war in general and the fact that the USSR frequently did not bury its own war dead was mentioned in the press, but no protests or overt hostility towards the new German presence was reported.
Lost German war dead
Up to 10,000 German military dead are found and buried each year in this part of Russia. The cemetery has become a point of reconciliation between German and Russian youth, who jointly search for unmarked graves around Sologubovka and elsewhere in Russia. The Goethe-InstitutGoethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
sponsors events and exhibitions at Sologubovka Cemetery to heighten awareness of the missing soldiers from World War II and to facilitate mutual German-Russian understanding and recognition of war dead. The German War Graves Commission
German War Graves Commission
The German War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa...
estimates there are still many thousands of German unmarked war graves throughout Russia and areas of the former Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
but has successfully located and reinterred over 600,000 in German sponsored cemeteries like Sologubovka since the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
See also
- Operation BarbarossaOperation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
- Siege of LeningradSiege of LeningradThe Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
- List of battles by casualties
- Army Group NorthArmy Group NorthArmy Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
- Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery
- Golm War CemeteryGolm War CemeteryThe Golm War Cemetery is a World War II cemetery near the village of Kamminke close to the German-Polish border on the island of Usedom maintained and managed by the German War Graves Commission...