Katyn war cemetery, Military cemetery in Katyn village, Smolensk Oblast, Russia.
Description
Katyn War Cemetery is a memorial site set within a forest, spread across 22 hectares and designed around mass graves. The graves line both sides of a main path, with thousands of names engraved into stone markers.
History
The cemetery marks the execution of roughly 4,400 Polish officers from the Kozelsk prisoner camp, killed by Soviet forces in spring 1940. The site also holds graves from later periods during Stalin's rule.
Culture
The site holds divided meaning for Polish and Russian visitors, reflected in separate sections within the grounds. The underground chapel with its bell serves today as a space for mourning and remembrance that welcomes people from both nations.
Practical
The site functions as a branch of a major museum in Smolensk and sits roughly 20 kilometers west of the city center. Walking through the grounds allows you to view individual markers and understand the layout at your own pace.
Did you know?
The location joins two separate historical tragedies under one name: the 1940 killings and later victims of Stalin's repression. This connection is made explicit through the physical structure of the ground itself.
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