In 1956, the opening ceremony of the Gymnastics and Sports Festival took place in the memorial complex; the authorities stated that the monument could be interpreted as a symbol of "long-standing German-Russian friendship".
Pada 1956, acara pembukaan Festival Olahraga dan Gymnastics diadakan di kompleks tempat peringatan tersebut, pihak otoritas menyatakan bahwa monumen tersebut diinterpretasikan sebagai simbol "persahabatan Jerman-Rusia yang bertahan lama".