The Leipzig Memorial

Figure 1: Round Corner Building, currently the Stasi-Museum at 24 Ditrichring,
Leipzig, Germany. The new memorial plaque is located on the south front as shown.

The famous round corner building at 24 Dittrichring in Leipzig, Germany (Fig. 1 above). During the Nazi era it was the headquarters of the Leipzig Gestapo and Sicherheitsdienst (SS Intelligence). In German Democratic Republic (GDR) times from 1950 until 1989 it housed the local office of the Stasi secret service. After the fall of communism in East Germany it was occupied by vigilant citizens to safeguard vital Stasi records.

On April 19, 1945 after the fall of Leipzig to U. S. General Lawton Collins' 7th Corps, it became his Corps Headquarters which included the U.S. 2nd Inf Div and U.S. 69th Inf Div.

Today it houses both the museum documenting the civil movement that toppled the Communist regime and the satellite office of the Federal Commissioner in Charge of Stassi Documents (Bürgerkomitees Leipzig e.V, dem Träger der Gedenkstätte Museum in der „Runden Ecke“ mit dem Museum im Stasi-Bunker).

View Larger Map

Figure 2: The plaque at the south front of the building.

Plaque Inscription in German (Fig. 2): Zu Ehren der Truppen der 2. und 69. Infanteriedivision der US-Armee, die Leipzig am 18. April 1945 von der nationalsozialistischen Diktatur befreiten. In diesem Gebäude befanden sich bis Ende Juni 1945 die Militärregierung und das Hauptquartier des VII. US-Armee-Korps.

Plaque Inscription in English (Fig. 2): In honor of the soldiers of the 2nd and 69th Infantry Divisions of the US Army who freed Leipzig from the National Socialist dictatorship on April 18, 1945. The military government and headquarters of the US VII Corps were located in this building until the end of June 1945.

Figure 3: The left part of the plaque (belongs to the image in Fig. 2).
Displays the patches of the U.S. 2nd and 69th Infantry Divisions on
the left part of the plaque at the corner of the building.

Figure 4 (L-R): Burghard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig, and Catherine Brucker,
USA Consul General, at the unveiling of the memorial on April 18, 2011.

© 2011. The Fighting 69th Infantry Division. All Rights Reserved.