Footsteps of WWII · Berlin & eastern Germany
Torgau: the Elbe Day meeting
Bridge · 25 Apr 1945
The story
On 25 April 1945 the US 69th Infantry Division and the Soviet 58th Guards Rifle Division met on the Elbe, cutting Germany in two. The first contact was made that morning near Strehla, some 30 km upstream, by Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue's patrol. At Torgau, Second Lieutenant William Robertson waved a home-made American flag from the tower of Hartenfels Castle; after confusion over signal flares he crossed the wreck of the blown bridge and met Soviet soldiers on it at about 4 pm. The famous handshake photographs were staged on the ruined bridge for the cameras the following day.
What to look for
On the riverbank stands the Monument to the Meeting, designed by Soviet architect Avraham Miletzki and dedicated in September 1945, beside a viewing platform that is all that remains of the old bridge. Hartenfels Castle, from whose tower Robertson signalled, rises behind.
Plan your visit
The monument and riverbank are open-air and free. Torgau holds Elbe Day events each April. Check the town website for castle opening times.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Colditz Castle · 50 km
- Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Dresden · 75 km
- Dresden Frauenkirche and the 1945 bombing · 76 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
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