Victory Column

Victory Column – monument in the center of Berlin in the Big Tiergarten at the Big Star Square. It was built by the project of the architect Heinrich Strack in 1864-1873 as a national monument to the unifying wars of Germany. Three military victories of Prussia are reflected in the three original segments of the column and the bronze sculpture of the goddess Victoria at its top. Friedrich Drake gave the female image of the goddess Victoria the features of the crown princess Prussia Victoria of Great Britain. On May 2, 1945, on the day of the surrender of Germany, Polish soldiers erected the Polish flag on the Victory Column before the march on Nauen. By their own admissions, they did not know the significance of the monument and later lamented that they did not blow up the convoy instead. Protected by the state as an architectural monument of Berlin.