Ostlandkreuz
Encyclopedia
Memorial Cross
The Memorial Cross , often known as the Silver Cross, is a Canadian medal awarded to the mother, widow, widower, or next of kin of any member of the Canadian Forces who loses his or her life in active service, including peacekeeping, and other such international operations.-Design:The Memorial...
es in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
remembering the expulsion of Germans after World War II
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
from the former Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
areas of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
part of the former Province of East Prussia
Province of East Prussia
The Province of East Prussia was a province of Prussia from 1773–1829 and 1878-1945. Composed of the historical region East Prussia, the province's capital was Königsberg ....
. While most of these crosses stand in cemeteries, some are erected as landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
s on mountains.
Locations
In Germany there are several hundred Ostlandkreuze, most of which are located in cemeteries. The following list is restricted to the most prominent Ostlandkreuze erected on exposed locations.Bad Harzburg
On 24 June 1950 a 20.5 metre high, wooden cross, the Kreuz des Deutschen Ostens was dedicated on the Uhlenklippen crags near Bad HarzburgBad Harzburg
Bad Harzburg is a town in central Germany, in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa and climatic health resort.- Location :...
in the presence of Ernst Reuter
Ernst Reuter
Ernst Rudolf Johannes Reuter was the German mayor of West Berlin from 1948 to 1953, during the time of the Cold War.- Early years :...
. This cross stood for over 47 years before being blown down on 4 March 1998 during a hurricane.
On 30 September 2000 a new 17.7 metre high and 6.3 metre wide, partly wooden-clad, steel cross was dedicated on the same spot. The construction cost came to 180,000 DM. Around the cross in a wide arc is a footpath on the outside of which are small rough-hewn stone monuments facing the cross; each one with a shield representing one of the former German provinces in Eastern Europe. The cross is checkpoint no. 122 on the Harzer Wandernadel
Harzer Wandernadel
The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...
hiking network.
Geislingen
The Geislingen Ostlandkreuz is a memorial cross built in 1950 south of Geislingen, on the Schildwacht mountain. It remembers specifically the expulsions from the South Moravian RegionSouth Moravian Region
South Moravian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia, with exception of Jobova Lhota, that belongs to Bohemia. Its capital is Brno the 2nd largest city of the Czech Republic. The region is famous for its wine...
in and around the towns of Znojmo
Znojmo
Znojmo is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic, near the border with Lower Austria, connected to Vienna by railway and road . The royal city of Znojmo was founded shortly before 1226 by King Ottokar I on the plains in front of Znojmo Castle...
, Mikulov
Mikulov
Mikulov is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 7,608 . It is located directly on the border with Lower Austria. Mikulov is located at the edge of a hilly area and the three Nové Mlýny reservoirs...
, Nová Bystřice
Nová Bystrice
Nová Bystřice is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic . It has ca 3,400 inhabitants...
and Slavonice
Slavonice
Slavonice is a town situated in the southwest of Moravia on the border with South Bohemia, Czech Republic, about a kilometre from the Austrian border with about 2,700 inhabitants...
.
It is a steel framework construction covered with copper plates. Its height is 22.7m/74.5ft and it weighs 8.5 tons. The span of its arms is 7.5m/24.5ft. A landmark of Geislingen, the cross was renovated in 1992, further refurbished in 2003 and received a light installation for illumination at night.
Coordinates: 48°36′57"N 9°49′51"E
Nordstemmen
The wooden "Cross of the German East" (Kreuz des deutschen Ostens) was erected in 1961 on the Bocksberg near the village of Heyersum. After being destroyed it was newly consecrated in 1990 and 2006.Winterbach
The cross and an altar, both made of concrete, are located on the Hungerberg, a slope on the northern edge of the Rems valley between Winterbach and SchorndorfSchorndorf
Schorndorf is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located c. 26 km east of Stuttgart. Its station is a the terminus of line S2 of the Stuttgart S-Bahn....
.
Once a year around 5:30 am on Easter morning there is a service at this Ostlandkreuz.
Coordinates: 48°48′34.3"N 9°29′49.2"E
Dülken
In the town of DülkenDülken
Dülken is a town located in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. It has a population of about 20,000. It is part of the municipality of Viersen. It received its town charter in 1364 thus being the oldest part of the municipality of Viersen. It lies in the administrative region of Düsseldorf...
(Viersen district) a cross in memory of the war and German refugees was erected at the cemetery in 1951. It was restored in 2005.