The submarine memorial on the Möltenorter Schanze in Heikendorf near Kiel is dedicated to the memory of all submariners of the German Navy who remained at sea. More than 35,000 names of the fallen submariners of the two world wars are immortalized here on bronze plaques. The soldiers who lost their lives on submarines in peacetime are also remembered here. At the same time, it is also a memorial for all victims of the submarine war. The memorial is a place of silence, remembrance, remembrance and reflection, but also a warning against war and violence.
The landmark of the Baltic Sea resort of Heikendorf is visible from far away: the mighty 4.60 m high eagle on the red 15.30 m high Weser sandstone pillar with the submarine war badge.
The memorial is located at the narrowest point of the Kiel Fjord, the Möltenorter Schanze. It is the only joint memorial for the submariners of the German Navy who lost their lives at sea in the line of duty.
The great significance of this memorial is shaped to a large extent by its interior design. In the semi-circular walkway set into the ground, the names of the more than thirty-five thousand fallen soldiers of the two world wars are recorded on 117 bronze plaques, sorted by boat name, place of accident and type of accident. In the forecourt of the complex, there are display cases with the location plans of the boats lost in the First and Second World Wars. The great human tragedy becomes clear to the visitor when he has internalized the endless chains of names on the bronze plaques with the short, incomplete life story from birth to early death.