The mausoleum had a dramatic vaulted ceiling. Designed by the Kruger brothers and carved by Paul Bronisch, the entrance to Hindenburg's crypt was dominated by two fourteen-foot sculptures of the Eternal Watch, known as the Ewige Wache, which were carved out of more than 120 tons of imported Konigsberg granite. The unknown soldiers were re-interred in the side chapels. To create an entrance to the crypt, Hindenburg and the 20 unknown German soldiers from the 1914 battle were temporarily disinterred, and the level of the plaza was lowered by 8 feet (2.4 m), with stone steps surrounding it on all sides. The new crypt, which was completed in the fall of 1935, was located directly below the south tower. On 2 October 1935, the anniversary of Hindenburg's birthday, the President's bronze coffin was relocated to a new, sombre chamber where he was joined by his wife Gertrud, who was moved from the family plot in Hanover. Hindenburg was originally buried in the central yard or 'plaza' of the monument on 7 August 1934. The concourse grass was replaced with stone and around the memorial landscape were placed (historically inaccurate) interpretations of the Aryan German presence in East Prussia since the stone age. A porphyry statue of the victor, by the East Prussian Friedrich Bagdons, dominated the Hall of Honour above the tomb. Two giant stone soldiers (as if on guard) were placed outside the tomb. This stone was so large that railway bridges had to be strengthened to aid its transportation.

To add to the theatre, the government of the Reich again called upon the architectural firm of Krüger in Berlin and using the Stonehenge parallel again above the entrance, a giant stone (symbolically from Königsberg) was placed, with the Field Marshal's name inscribed upon it. Modernisation of the memorialįollowing the interment of Hindenburg, the memorial once again became a national shrine. Following a torch-lit route and escorted by infantry and cavalry, the cortège made its way to Hohenstein. It began with the transportation of the deceased president in the dark of night, on a gun carriage, from Hindenburg's East Prussian home Neudeck. However, Hitler decided to seize the opportunity for propaganda and instructed Albert Speer to ensure that the day was spectacular. Hindenburg had requested a simple service and that he be interred next to his wife (who had died in 1921) in Hanover. Among those attending were Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Franz von Papen and Erich Koch, East Prussia's Nazi governor.Ī year later, the monument again came to prominence on the death of Paul von Hindenburg. The Polish government allowed 1,500 cars to transit through the Polish Corridor.

In August 1933 the Nazis held a massive demonstration at the memorial to commemorate the anniversary of the battle. The numbers of visitors did not meet expectations initially but during the Nazi era the numbers were such that the inn required to be extended. The architects had also built an inn nearby in traditional East Prussian style. Six miles of veterans, resplendent in Imperial uniforms, paid homage to Hindenburg and the 20 unknown German soldiers from the 1914 battle who were interred at the memorial. An extract from the speech was later carved into a bronze plaque by the Nazi regime and installed in one of the towers of the memorial. His speech was deemed highly nationalistic and in keeping with the times for the Weimar Republic, but was not well received outside Germany since it denied German responsibility for the war. The 80-year-old Hindenburg was dressed in the uniform of a Colonel-in-chief of a Masurian regiment to which he'd been appointed by the Emperor (who had since abdicated). Opening and dedicationĪ gathering of thousands came to the dedication of the newly finished memorial on September 18, 1927. The design influenced other projects undertaken by architects and builders during the era. The monument's location on a hilltop was accentuated by massive earthworks and landscaping designed to look as if nature alone had shaped the site. The memorial was built in a prominent place in a shape reminiscent of the castles of the Teutonic Knights. The architects imagined the memorial to be a new volkish 'community of the dead' and incorporated the burial of 20 unknown German soldiers from the Eastern Front into the project concept. This ideology was mooted in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. In doing so, the architects anticipated the concept of Totenburgen (Fortresses of the Dead) housing mass graves of soldiers. The memorial embraced the Anglo/French concept of the Unknown Soldier.

8 Hindenburg's disinterment and partial demolition of the memorial.

Tannenberg memorial today