Execution site Rieme-Oostakker, War memorial and mass grave in Oostakker, Belgium.
The Execution site Rieme-Oostakker is a memorial and mass grave in Ghent where killings took place during World War II. The location features memorial crosses, plaques, and a train carriage that mark where these events occurred.
During German occupation, people were killed at this location between 1943 and 1944. Many victims were initially buried without identification before the memorial was later established.
The site honors Belgians who resisted occupation and paid with their lives for their actions. The memorial shows how communities keep memories alive and maintain respect for those who were lost.
The site lies on the border between Oostakker and Lochristi, near the Kluizendok of Ghent's port; the Rieme execution ground itself was moved here in 1998 for the dock's construction. The terrain is a protected landscape since 1966, with the memorial gate, the two bronze figures and the deportation wagon standing on paved ground. A commemoration is held each year on the second Sunday of May.
The deportation wagon on the site was restored in 2023-2024 by pupils of Richtpunt Campus Ninove-Zottegem, working with the Monumentenwacht and the heritage service of East Flanders. It recalls the hundreds of Belgians deported to camps in Germany and Poland.
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