German volunteers restore inscriptions on graves of Soviet soldiers in Potsdam
19.06.2019
Photo credit: russkoepole.de
German volunteers and Russian compatriots, united by the Relay of Memory social project, restore the inscriptions on the gravestones of Soviet soldiers, who died during the Second World War, at the cemetery in Potsdam.
“Gratitude in the eyes of relatives who come to the graves of their loved ones is worth a lot,” one of the volunteers, Jens said.
Video in Russian with German subtitles on volunteer activity published on Berliner Blick YouTube channel:
More than 5,000 Soviet soldiers were buried at the soldiers' cemetery, located on the outskirts of Potsdam. For two years, volunteers, Germans and compatriots restore inscriptions and photographs on gravestones and clean tombstones.
“The result of the work is already visible, but there is still a lot of work left ,” says Jens. “We are all like-minded and are doing a common thing”.
The video also includes messages from Russian relatives of soldiers and officers buried in Potsdam, with gratitude to the volunteers for their work and promises to visit the graves of their ancestors. According to Jens, work to restore the inscriptions on the graves and tidying up the soldiers' cemeteries are necessary to preserve historical memory.
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