Тесницкий полигон, Historic execution site in Tesnitsky, Russia
Tesnitsky Polygon is a memorial site in a forest north of Tula, where more than 100 mass graves have been found across the grounds. A brick chapel and a granite memorial stone were placed here to honor those buried in this place.
This place was used as an execution site during the Stalinist repressions of the 1930s, where more than 2,500 people lost their lives. In the late 1980s, investigators uncovered the site and brought the mass graves to light.
The chapel standing here honors the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, showing how locals have transformed this site into a place for remembrance and spiritual reflection. Visitors can see how faith shapes the way people gather and acknowledge what happened.
The site lies in a remote forest and is easiest to reach by private vehicle. The ground can be muddy depending on the season, so sturdy footwear is a good idea.
During excavations, bullet-marked skulls and spent ammunition shells were found scattered throughout the graves, serving as physical evidence of what had happened. These finds helped researchers identify some of the victims buried here.
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