Palmiry Cemetery

Palmiry Cemetery is a memorial site for more than 2,000 people killed there by Nazi forces during World War II. The location sits within a forest and includes a museum with photographs, documents, and personal belongings of those who died.

Between 1939 and 1943, German occupation forces carried out mass executions at this location. These killings targeted members of Polish resistance groups and intellectuals.

The cemetery honors people from different walks of life who were killed during the occupation. Visitors can see today how this remembrance is preserved at a place that holds meaning for many families.

The cemetery sits in a forest setting about 30 kilometers northwest of Warsaw and is open Tuesday through Sunday. Visitors should allow time to walk through the memorial grounds and follow the marked pathways.

During the war, Polish forest workers secretly marked trees near execution sites to help later identify the mass graves. These hidden marks allowed the Polish Red Cross to locate and properly bury the victims years later.