The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is a monument in Leipzig, Germany to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations. Paid for mostly by donations and by the city of Leipzig, it was completed in 1913 for the 100th anniversary of the Battle.
During the Third Reich, Hitler frequently used the monument as a venue for his meetings in Leipzig. When the US army captured Leipzig, the monument was one of the last strongholds in the city to surrender. One hundred and fifty SS soldiers with ammunition and foodstuffs stored in the structure to last three months dug themselves in, but were blasted with artillery and defeated.
During the DDR it was decided that the monument be allowed to remain, since it represented a battle in which Russian and German soldiers had fought together against a common enemy, and was therefore representative of Deutsch-russische Waffenbrüderschaft (Russo-German brotherhood-in-arms).
The 16th October has been the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig for which the monument has been restored. The structure is 91 metres tall and contains over 500 steps to a viewing platform at the top, from which there are spectacular views across the city and environs.
During the Third Reich, Hitler frequently used the monument as a venue for his meetings in Leipzig. When the US army captured Leipzig, the monument was one of the last strongholds in the city to surrender. One hundred and fifty SS soldiers with ammunition and foodstuffs stored in the structure to last three months dug themselves in, but were blasted with artillery and defeated.
During the DDR it was decided that the monument be allowed to remain, since it represented a battle in which Russian and German soldiers had fought together against a common enemy, and was therefore representative of Deutsch-russische Waffenbrüderschaft (Russo-German brotherhood-in-arms).
The 16th October has been the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig for which the monument has been restored. The structure is 91 metres tall and contains over 500 steps to a viewing platform at the top, from which there are spectacular views across the city and environs.
