The Mausoleum of Mărășești is a memorial site in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

containing remains of 5,073 Romanian soldiers and officers killed in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and dedicated to the commemoration of the

Battle of Mărășești The Battle of Mărășești (6 August 1917 – 3 September 1917) was the last major battle between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Romania on the Romanian front during World War I. Romania was mostly occupied by the Central Powers, but th ...

and

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

members who were killed during World War I. The memorial took

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s George Cristinel and Constantin Pomponiu 15 years to build and was unveiled on 18 September 1938 by

King Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I of Roman ...

. The

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

surrounding the base of the dome was sculpted by

Cornel Medrea Cornel Medrea (; March 8, 1888–July 25, 1964) was a Romanian sculptor. Biography Artistic studies He was born on March 8, 1888, in Miercurea Sibiului, then in Szeben County, Kingdom of Hungary, now Sibiu County, Romania. After moving with hi ...

and

Ion Jalea Ion Jalea (; 19 May 1887 – 7 November 1983) was a Romanian sculptor, medallist, titular member of the Romanian Academy. Biography Artistic studies Jalea was born on 19 May 1887 in the little town of Casimcea, Tulcea County. His family ...

Background

In interiorul Mausoleului de la Mărășești

The

(August 6 to September 8, 1917) was a battle fought during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

between the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

and the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

. The two sides sent into battle a total of about 1 million soldiers. The Romanian battle plan called for attack on

Nămoloasa Nămoloasa is a commune in Galați County, in the Western Moldavia region of Romania. It is composed of three villages: Crângeni, Nămoloasa, and Nămoloasa-Sat. The commune is located in the south-west of the county, on the border with Brăila ...

, but developments elsewhere on the Eastern Front led to shelving that plan. Field Marshal

August von Mackensen Anton Ludwig Friedrich August von Mackensen (born Mackensen; 6 December 1849 – 8 November 1945), ennobled as "von Mackensen" in 1899, was a German field marshal. He commanded successfully during World War I of 1914–1918 and became one of the ...

launched an attack on August 6. The fighting lasted until September 8, when both sides ran out of fresh units. The German attempt to crush the Romanian army led by General

Eremia Grigorescu Eremia Teofil Grigorescu (28 November 1863 – 21 July 1919) was a Romanian artillery general during World War I, and Minister of War in the Constantin Coandă cabinet (October–November 1918). Early life Born in 1863 in the village Golășei ...

failed, but the Romanians did not regain any more of their territory either.Cyril Falls, ''The Great War'', p. 285 The motto of the Romanian Army during the battle was "Pe aici nu se trece" ( en, "

They shall not pass In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accusati ...

"), probably inspired from the famous slogan of General

Robert Nivelle Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 – 22 March 1924) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in the ...

during the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

. Romania lost over 27,000 men, including 610 officers, while Germany lost over 47,000. Notably, the Romanian heroine

Ecaterina Teodoroiu Ecaterina Teodoroiu (; born Cătălina Toderoiu; 15 January 1894 – 3 September 1917) was a Romanian woman who fought on the front and died in World War I, and is regarded as a heroine of Romania. A Romanian Scouts member, she had initially wor ...

was killed at the end of this battle, on September 6, by machine-gun fire; two days later,

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Karl von Wenninger Karl Wenninger, from 1914 onwards Ritter von Wenninger, was a German Lieutenant General who commanded the XVIII Reserve Corps in World War I. Biography Family Karl was the son of the Bavarian Colonel Franz Xaver Wenninger and his wife Mathilde ...

was killed by artillery fire near the village of Muncelu, Străoane.

Memorials at the Mausoleum

*Burials **

(1863–1919) ** (1889–1917) ** Maria Zaharia (1905–1917) *Cenotaphs ** Henri Cihoski (1871–1950)

Gallery

File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - latură luminoasă.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - cupola din obscur de dedesubt.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - Cupola.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - Chicera.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - Mormânt Generalul Eremia Grigorescu.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - Răzoare.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - basorelief stânga.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - Mormîntul comun al eroilor necunoscuți.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - Piatra tombală a Generalului Maior Feodor Alexandrovici Coloacev.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) de la Mărășești, nocturna sudică.JPG File:Mausoleul Eroilor (1916 - 1919) - bronz.JPG

Notes

External links

Mausoleum of Mărășești

Images-360° of Mausoleum of Mărășești
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mausoleum of Marasesti World War I memorials in Romania Greater Romania Buildings and structures completed in 1938 Historic monuments in Vrancea County

Background

Memorials at the Mausoleum

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links