Works begin on site of Ponary-Paneriai Massacre

The Ponary site is in dire need of renovation. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

“The monuments in Ponary, commemorating the murder of around 100,000 people, are outdated,” said Jaša Markas Zingeris, director of Vilnius’ Museum of Jews which is responsible for the site. “There has been talk about the need to reconstruct this place during the past twenty years. I am happy that work has finally begun.”

Markas Zingeris added that a priority was to “preserve the authenticity of the site,” explaining that “The tragedy occurred in a forest, we cannot change this area into a park.”

An international competition to choose the best projects for modernising the site received 16 entries. It is understood that the currently existing monuments will remain while the paths leading to them will be improved and the onsite educational centre will be expanded.

The Ponary Massacre was the largest crime committed against the Jewish and Polish population in the region.

The majority of the people massacred by Nazis at Ponary between 1941 and 1944 were Jewish and Polish, though people from other nationalities such as Russians and Lithuanians were also killed.

The Ponary-Paneriai site is now in a district of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The site covers 20 heaters and apart from large state-constructed monuments includes numerous smaller monuments to individual victims. (sl)

Source: Polskie Radio