• Memorial to the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War
In 1968, a memorial was erected in Berlin's Volkspark Friedrichshain to the German members of the International Brigades who fought in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939.
Image: no place given, 1936/1937, Documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens, Author Ernest Hemingway as well as author and commander of the Thälmann battalion Ludwig Renn, Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-84600-0001, k.A.
no place given, 1936/1937, Documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens, Author Ernest Hemingway as well as author and commander of the Thälmann battalion Ludwig Renn, Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-84600-0001, k.A.

Image: Berlin, 2010, Detailed view of the sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
Berlin, 2010, Detailed view of the sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
The Spanish Civil War was triggered by a military coup of right wing conservative officers against the elected Popular Front government in the Spanish Republic on July 18, 1936. From the summer of 1936 on, Germany and Italy supported the army of the nationalists and the fascists led by General Francisco Franco by supplying both weapons and soldiers. The German Reich deployed its »Condor Legion«, an air force unit composed of several squadrons. The support significantly strengthened the nationalists' battle power and proved decisive in many instances. That same year, the Soviet Union joined the fighting on the Republican side. Simultaneously, thousands of volunteers from many countries travelled to Spain to support the republican forces. This army consisting of up to 40,000 volunteers was known as the »International Brigades«. About 3,000 Germans joined the International Brigades, among them many communists. In 1938, the International Brigades were disbanded by the government of the Spanish Republic. Many of its members escaped to neighbouring France as returning to their states of origin was not entirely safe. In France they were accommodated in temporary internment camps. After defeating the last Republican troops on April 1, 1939, Franco established a dictatorship with fascist traits, which endured until the mid-1970s.
Image: no place given, 1936/1937, Documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens, Author Ernest Hemingway as well as author and commander of the Thälmann battalion Ludwig Renn, Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-84600-0001, k.A.
no place given, 1936/1937, Documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens, Author Ernest Hemingway as well as author and commander of the Thälmann battalion Ludwig Renn, Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-84600-0001, k.A.

Image: Berlin, 2010, Detailed view of the sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
Berlin, 2010, Detailed view of the sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
The memorial is dedicated to the German members of the International Brigades. About 3,000 Germans fought in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republicans. How many died in action is not known. Earlier research presumed that about 2,000 German Brigadiers died out of a total of 5,000 who were thought to have taken part in the fighting.
Image: Berlin, 2010, Detailed view of the relief: republicans flee from Spain, Stiftung Denkmal
Berlin, 2010, Detailed view of the relief: republicans flee from Spain, Stiftung Denkmal

Image: Berlin, 2010, Memorial to the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, Stiftung Denkmal
Berlin, 2010, Memorial to the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, Stiftung Denkmal
In 1965, the East-German ruling communist party SED and the Committee of Anti-fascist Resistance Fighters (Komitee der Antifaschistischen Widerstandskämpfer, KdAW), which also comprised many former Brigadiers, jointly decided to erect a memorial to the German members of the International Brigades who died in action during the Spanish Civil War. The foundation stone was laid down in 1966 even though there was no design yet for the future memorial. Members of the KdAW personally spoke with selected sculptors, including Fritz Cremer. In 1967, Cremer, who had among others designed a monument for the Buchenwald Memorial, was commissioned with designing the memorial to the Brigadiers, which was finally dedicated in Volkspark Friedrichshain in 1968. The memorial consists of three elements: a memorial plaque, bronze relief depicting scenes from the Spanish Civil War by Siegfried Krepp, and a bronze figure of a leaping Brigadier with a raised sword. The figure's posture refers to Ernst Barlach's figure »The Avenger«, while the face of the statue was modelled after actor Ernst Busch. Honouring the International Brigades was connected to one of the founding myths of the GDR: though the Civil War in Spain was lost, the image of the voluntary, international and communist struggle against the fascists and the sacrifice for the greater good were to serve as an example.
Image: Berlin, 2010, Fritz Cremer's sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
Berlin, 2010, Fritz Cremer's sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal

Image: Berlin, 2010, Memorial plaque and sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
Berlin, 2010, Memorial plaque and sculpture, Stiftung Denkmal
Name
Gedenkstätte für die Interbrigadisten im Spanischen Bürgerkrieg
Address
Friedenstraße
10249 Berlin
Open
always accessible