Russian Monument (Liechtenstein)

The Russian Monument Liechtenstein is a small memorial stone in the hamlet of Hinterschellenberg, Liechtenstein.

Russian Monument Liechtenstein.

Overview

Translated into English, the inscription on the monument reads as follows:

Here in Hinterschellenberg, on the night of 2 May 1945, the asylum-seeking remainder of the "1st Russian National Army of the German Wehrmacht" under Major General A. Holmston-Smyslowsky,[1] with about 500 fully equipped men, crossed the border of the Greater German Reich into Liechtenstein. The first negotiations took place in the "Wirtschaft zum Löwen" tavern, which led to the granting of asylum by the Principality of Liechtenstein. It was the only country which resisted the Soviet Union's extradition demands. After two and a half years, the Russians were free to leave for a country of their choice.

The monument is marked on a map given out by the Liechtenstein tourist information service, available free in Vaduz. The Wirtschaft zum Löwen Tavern is a small bar directly behind the monument. The Austrian border is about one hundred metres beyond the memorial stone.

Notes

Coordinates are estimated from aerial photos near Wirtschaft zum Löwen. Monument is described as "between two small trees."[2]

  1. Count Borys Smyslowsky, a.k.a. Artur Holmston, was born in Terijoki, Russian Empire in 1897, died 1988 in Vaduz.
  2. "We're off to see..." babakfakhamzadeh.com. 2002-01-28. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
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