LEIPZIG/Germany/, October 18. . The ceremonial event commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held in Leipzig (Saxony) in eastern Germany. The meeting was attended by Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechaev, employees of the Russian diplomatic service, representatives of public organizations, activists, compatriots as well as concerned citizens of Germany, the reporter reported.
Participants in the ceremony, held at Leipzig's Eastern Cemetery, paid tribute to the memory of Soviet soldiers and officers, prisoners of war and civilians who died in Germany during World War II, and laid wreaths and flowers at their memorial.
The Russian Ambassador spoke to the audience. He sent his thanks to compatriots living in Germany and Germans who care about taking care of Soviet military graves. At the same time, the diplomat noted the importance of passing on cultural memories to the younger generation. At the end of the event, Nechaev presented certificates of gratitude to the activists for their work to preserve the memory of those events and improve Soviet memorials.
About burial
The Eastern Cemetery was opened in 1879 and is considered the second largest general cemetery in Leipzig. 1,758 people are buried here – Soviet soldiers, officers and prisoners of war who died during World War II, as well as citizens sent to Germany for forced labor and their children and civilians.
The Soviet military burial site was established in 1946-1948. 270 Soviet soldiers and officers who died in battle or died in hospital from wounds, as well as Soviet prisoners of war, are buried here. On the site there is a memorial column, on one side there is a hammer and sickle on the earring, on the other – the Medal of the Patriotic War. Behind the columns are tombs with tombstones recording the name and date of birth of the deceased.
In addition, the cemetery also has the graves of about 1.5 thousand Soviet citizens and their children who were sent to forced labor.
