Stalin died in 1953. On the day of his interment, March 9, the monument was the destination of a funeral march in East Berlin which lasted over seven hours. The deposition of flowers and wreaths, flags draped with black crepe, and flags flown at half-mast on public buildings were intended to express the regard of the German population for the "Genius of Humanity", the "best friend of the German people" and the "brilliant leader of the world peace camp". On the day after Stalin's death, minutes of silence were organized in his memory in the schools.