Ruined Berlin in Valery Faminsky’s eyes
February 17, 2019
These pictures were taken by Soviet war photographer Valery Faminsky (1914–1993) during the Fall of Nazi Berlin in May 1945. This archive was discovered recently in Moscow. He photographed the Red Army’s combat from Ukraine to Berlin.
Photographer Arthur Bondar heard that the family of Faminsky was selling the album and negatives after his death in 2011, so he acquired the archive in 2016.
These amazing pics of World War Two were taken during April 22nd to May 24th 1945, as Faminsky accompanied Soviet troops during their final assault of Third Reich’s capital. One of the most valued aspects of this album is that they are recorded far away from Soviet propaganda: images showing the troops daylife during their march to Berlin, the population, the ruins of the big city…the true face of destruction accomplished by the Allies. He also documented the care of wounded soldiers in Berlin for the medical authorities.
A truly witness of the reality of war, enjoy it.
[The Reichstag’s burnt out main entrance and portico.]
[Another view of the destroyed Berlin Reichstag building, looking East.]
[Ruined Waldermarstraße.]
[Civilians and their families fled the city, Schlesischer Bahnhof, 1945.]
[Bomb craters and trenches among rubble near Kroll Opera, Berlin. Smoke columns rises from recent street fightings.]
[An old-woman among destruction at Pfarrstraße, Berlin.]
[Roßstraßenbrücke at Wallstraße. Note bombed out apartments in the background.]
[A panorama view of the ruined Roßstraßenbrücke at Wallstraße.]
[A Berliner old man stands next to a warning from Berlin Wehrmacht’s Kommandantur.]
[Berliner Frau sits next to her suitcase in an abandoned street.]
[Bombed out building and debris in the Nazi-capital.]
[A lost horse in the middle of Falckenstein Straße, Ecke Schlesische Straße. Sadly, it would became soon food for Berliners…]
[Helsingforser Straße. Two images of destruction: the combined action of Western Allies bombing campaign and the final Russian assault.]
[German civilians -notice they are all old men and women, abandoned the defeated city as Soviet troops conquered Berlin.]
Last summer we can saw all this impressive images in an exhibition in Berlin. Bildband Berlin opened this show during 12th May – 12th July 2018 at Immanuelkirchstr. 33 (Prenzlauer Alle). Also we can adquire this complete album in a fabulous German/English 184 pages-edition “Valery Faminsky – Berlin Mai 1945” at their bookshop.
All photos: © Valery Faminsky, Arthur Bondar’s private collection. Berlin, May 1945.
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