Travel Guide "Remembrance Connects Region Oder-Warta"

58 59 Another memorial to the murdered patients is situated by a mass grave in the cemetery adjacent to the hospital grounds. The Space of Fat e The Space of Fat e In addition to the Seelow Heights memorial and museum, there are other places that commemorate the devastating battles in the region during the advance of the Red Army troops. Traces of the military presence can still be found today, for example, on the wooded „Reitweiner Höhe“ mountain range, which extends far into Oderbruch. The remains of trenches and foxholes recall one of the largest battles of the Second World War on German soil. The structural remains of the former bun- ker – more precisely a dugout shelter – can be attributed to Marshal Georgi Zhukov, the commander of the 1 st White Russian Front, who also commanded Red Army operations from here. The Reitweiner Sporn Memorial Site Erinnerungsort Reitweiner Sporn (The Reitweiner Sporn Memorial Site) documents the key role of a section of the Seelow Heights as a provisional command post for Soviet troops in 1945. The bunker was built in March 1945 as an advance command post for the commander of the 8 th Guards Army. However, today it bears the name of the better-known Marshal Zhukov, because he accepted the unconditio- nal surrender of the German Armed Forces in Berlin a few weeks later as the representative of the Soviet Union. The basic features of the adjacent facilities have been restored in recent years and can be visited as part of an open-air exhibition on the Reitweiner Sporn site. An information board provides details of the historical background. In 1904 , the „Provinzial-Irrenanstalt Obrawalde bei Meseritz“ (Provincial Lunatic Asylum Obrawalde near Meseritz) opened its doors, 3 km west of the city. It was considered one of the most modern and advanced facilities in the country, where the well-being of the patient was paramount. Several buildings were constructed on the 27 - hectare site of a former estate for the self-sufficient accommodation and care of small groups of patients. The facility was designed for 700 patients, but could be expanded to accommodate 1200 if needed. The hospital included 114 ha of land, which was used for occu- pational therapies in agriculture. With National Socialism, the attitude towards the mentally and neurologi- Meseritz-Obrawalde Sanatorium and Nursing Home A small exhibition on the grounds of the former sanatorium and nursing home documents the time as a site of torture and murder during the „Euthanasia Programme of 1942–1945“. cally ill changed radically. Declared as „unworthy of life“, over 200 , 000 people fell victim to euthanasia. In Obrawalde, between 1942 and 1945 , over 10 , 000 patients were systematically murdered with poison injections in specially equipped hospital rooms. The patient transports came from Germany, Poland and the Soviet Union. The victims also included prisoners of war from many nations and political prisoners if they were no longer fit for work. Since 1966 , a memorial on the hospi- tal grounds has commemorated the victims. A small exhibition is also on display at the hospital, which can be visited by prior appointment. Address: Hathenower Weg 14 A 15328 Reitwein, Deutschland www.seelowerhoehen.de Open: January-December GPS : 52 ° 29 ‘ 48 . 0 “N 14 ° 34 ‘ 05 . 1 “E The Reitweiner Sporn Memorial Site i Address: ul. Poznanska 109 66 - 300 Międzyrzecz, Polen www.psychiatria.miedzyrzecz.pl Open: The cemetery is open at all times. The exhibition at the hospital can only be visited on request.. GPS : 52 ° 26 ‘ 53 . 3 “N 15 ° 37 ‘ 07 . 2 “E Meseritz-Obrawalde Sanatorium and Nursing Home i