Stalingrad Madonna Memorial

The Stalingrad Madonna is a picture that the German hospital doctor and Protestant pastor Kurt Reuber painted in Stalingrad at Christmas 1942. It was a gift for his comrades. It was carried out of the pocket on one of the last transport planes during the Battle of Stalingrad. In memory of the victims of the battle and as a reminder of peace, the charcoal drawing now hangs in a small niche in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.
For the Stalingrad returnees Alois Gräfner and his best friend Valentin Einwich, both from Panzer Regiment 36, it is a symbol of hope from war and captivity.
Like the Madonna picture, the two friends were practically the last to escape from the pocket. In gratitude for their safe return home and in memory of their fallen comrades, this shrine was erected 45 years after their return and was inaugurated in a solemn ceremony on September 6, 1987.
The monument was created from Franconian shell limestone by the sculptor Hans Dresch from Schwarzach, based on a picture by Professor Beck from Vienna. The image was consecrated by the local priest at the time, Father Marcus Günther from the Order of Saint Benedict from Münsterschwarzach. (Info on the flyer at the monument)