The Courageous Alley in Kaliningrad starts from Dzerzhinsky Street, not far from the Friedland Gate, passes through residential areas, takes off above the railway, and ends at the intersection with Bolshaya Okruzhnaya Street at the Spiridon Trimifuntsky church. There are several objects on this unfamiliar city street that I would like to talk about.
Why the brave alley?
In the early days of April 1945, a large-scale and bloody operation to destroy the fascist group in the fortified city of Koenigsberg took place. Three defense rings, underground factories, arsenals, warehouses and a citadel in the city center - all this was overcome by Soviet troops with heavy fighting and huge losses on both sides. The battle went down in history as the "assault on Koenigsberg."
The 3rd Belorussian Front was led by Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky. The 11th Guards Army, which included the 26th Infantry Division, stormed the southern approaches to the city, took control of the defensive line and broke through to the central streets of the city.
The Brave Alley in Kaliningrad got its name in honor of the feat of the 26th Guards Rifle Division, as evidenced by the memorial plaque on the wall of one of the houses.
Mass grave in a military unit
According to official figures, 3,700 Soviet fighters were killed in the battle for the city, German losses totaled tens of thousands. 390 Soviet soldiers are buried in a mass grave on this street of Kaliningrad. On the territory of the military unit located here now, in 1956, a monument was erected to fighters who died in the last month of the war.
This is a black obelisk of granite 3 meters high. The area around an area of more than 500 square meters. meters tiled. Six graves are located along the paths, memorial plates with the names of soldiers are installed on the grave hills. Two concrete slabs located next to the granite obelisk contain information about the burial.
In 2007, this memorial complex was included in the list of cultural heritage sites of municipal significance. In 2010, the reconstruction of the memorial was made.
There is also a monument to V.I. Lenin, it is installed in a small square, reconstructed and well-groomed. The author of the work is unknown.