Dem'ianiv Laz
Massacre at Dem'ianiv Laz | |
---|---|
The memorial complex "Dem'ianiv Laz" | |
Location | Pasieczna (Now Pasichna), Soviet-occupied Poland, modern Ivano-Frankivsk |
Date | 1941 |
Target | Poles |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
Deaths | At least 524 |
Perpetrators | NKVD |
Dem'ianiv Laz (Ukrainian: Дем'Ñнів Лаз, Polish: Demianów Åaz)[1] is a mass burial site of victims of the Soviet extrajudicial killings committed in the wake of the Nazi German takeover of StanisÅ‚awów (modern Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine) in 1941. At least 524 Polish captives (including 150 women with dozens of children) were shot by the NKVD and buried in several mass graves dug by the prisoners themselves in a small gorge outside of the city.[2]
The mass murder site was located in the vicinity of a small village called Pasieczna in Soviet-occupied Poland, in a gorge called Demianów Åaz at the outskirts of StanisÅ‚awów (Ivano-Frankivsk since 1962). Some of the earlier victims were killed in the infamous NKVD prison in StanisÅ‚awów, others were brought to the site ahead of time in order to dig mass graves prior to their own execution.[2]
Cover up
During World War II the grave site was first discovered by the German forces. After the war, in the 1960s the Soviet authorities tried to bulldoze the area in order to cover all traces of the crime.[2] In 1970, following the Radio Liberty broadcast about Dem'ianiv Laz, the site's landscape was changed by heavy machinery to hinder any future attempts to excavate it. The cover-up continued almost until the end of the Soviet Union, as in 1984 and 1985 the site was further covered with rubble and debris of several demolished buildings.[3]
Despite these efforts, in 1989 remains of more than 500 men, women and children were uncovered during excavation performed by a local branch of the Memorial society. Only 22 victims were identified by name and all were Polish citizens of either Polish or Ukrainian ethnicity.[4] The memorial complex "Dem'ianiv Laz" was opened near the excavation site in 1998.
After the invasion in 1941, the German authorities under SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Krueger perpetrated another Aktion against Polish intelligentsia called the Czarny Las Massacre. It was committed near the village of Pawełcze (Pawelce) several km away.[5][6]
See also
- Bykivnia Graves, NKVD murder site near Kiev
- NKVD prisoner massacres during World War II
Notes
- ↑ Robert Nodzewski, "Demianów Åaz" IV Rozbiór Polski, 1939. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Dem'yaniv Laz". A chronicle of the communist inquisition. Memorial Society. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ↑ Ющенко закликав пам'Ñтати про катів Ñ– знищувати "ÑатанинÑькі Ñимволи". News.ru (in Ukrainian). 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ ДЕМ'ЯÐІВ ЛÐЗ. МЕМОРІÐЛ ЖЕРТВÐÐœ СТÐЛІÐСЬКИХ РЕПРЕСІЙ. memorial.kiev.ua (in Ukrainian). Memorial. 2000. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ PWL. "Mord w Czarnym Lesie (Murder in the Black Forest)". Województwo Stanisławowskie. Historia. PWL-Społeczna organizacja kresowa. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ Tadeusz Kamiński, Tajemnica Czarnego Lasu (The Black Forest Secret, Internet Archive). Publisher: Cracovia Leopolis, Kraków, 2000. Book excerpts.
References
- Dem'ianiv Laz. Age and number of victims found in separate burial places.
- Мемориальный ÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ð¿Ð»ÐµÐºÑ Â«Ð”ÐµÐ¼ÑŒÑнов Лаз» : г. Ивано-ФранковÑк, урочище ДемьÑнов Лаз УКРÐИÐÐ : ПамÑтники и памÑтные знаки жертвам политичеÑких репреÑÑий на территории бывшего СССР:: База данных :: Программа ПамÑÑ‚ÑŒ о беÑправии :: СахаровÑкий центр. (Russian)
- Мемориальный ÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ð¿Ð»ÐµÐºÑ Â«Ð”ÐµÐ¼ÑŒÑнов Лаз» (Russian)
- Ðовини NEWSru.ua :: Ющенко закликав пам'Ñтати про катів Ñ– знищувати "ÑатанинÑькі Ñимволи". (Ukrainian)
Coordinates: 48°56′35″N 24°40′07″E / 48.943075°N 24.6685°E