Piatykhatky, Kharkiv
Encyclopedia
Piatykhatky is a village on the outskirts of Kharkiv
, Ukraine
.
On the territory of a pansionat for workers of the NKVD
, children discovered hundreds of buttons of Polish officer uniforms that had risen to the surface. After investigation, a mass burial site was uncovered containing the remains of thousands of Polish Officers murdered during the Katyn massacre
. Along with the remains of the Polish officers were also the remains of thousands of Ukrainian intellectuals murdered during the Stalinist purges of the 1930's, mainly in 1937-38.
secret police (the NKVD
) in 1937-38, and also several thousand Polish
officers in 1940, murdered during the Katyn massacre
.
The site was funded by the Polish government and erected by the local population. It contains a bell set into the ground that chimes on the hour. Individual plaques for each of the Polish officers murdered at the site, including their name, rank and city of birth are laid out row after row after row.
The names of Ukrainian intellectuals, primarily Ukrainian writers, dramatists, musicians, professors, lecturers are carved into a memorial wall made of steel that is constantly rusting, giving the impression of constantly bleeding.
A peaceful and reflective site to contemplate the aftereffects of a brutal totalitarian regime.
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
On the territory of a pansionat for workers of the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
, children discovered hundreds of buttons of Polish officer uniforms that had risen to the surface. After investigation, a mass burial site was uncovered containing the remains of thousands of Polish Officers murdered during the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
. Along with the remains of the Polish officers were also the remains of thousands of Ukrainian intellectuals murdered during the Stalinist purges of the 1930's, mainly in 1937-38.
Memorial complex
A memorial complex (50°04′50"N 36°15′45"E) was built in memory of the Ukrainian intellectuals murdered by the SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
secret police (the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
) in 1937-38, and also several thousand Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
officers in 1940, murdered during the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
.
The site was funded by the Polish government and erected by the local population. It contains a bell set into the ground that chimes on the hour. Individual plaques for each of the Polish officers murdered at the site, including their name, rank and city of birth are laid out row after row after row.
The names of Ukrainian intellectuals, primarily Ukrainian writers, dramatists, musicians, professors, lecturers are carved into a memorial wall made of steel that is constantly rusting, giving the impression of constantly bleeding.
A peaceful and reflective site to contemplate the aftereffects of a brutal totalitarian regime.