Between July 1941, and August 1944, approximately 100,000 people of whom over half were Jewish were murdered at this site by the Nazis and a hotpotch of willing Lithuanians from such sinister organisations as the Ypatingasis Būrys (Vilnius Special Squad). A traumatic but necessary part of any Jewish-related visit to Lithuania, find several monuments and the remains of the pits where the victims were burned. The typical Soviet-era museum inside a small building on the murder site features exhibits explained in a baffling and irregular mix of languages including everything from stomach-churning photography to the clothing worn by a man whose job it was to sift the remains of the charred bodies for gold. Not recommended for children. Paneriai (Ponar to the Jews, Ponary to the Poles) is about 8km southwest of Old Town. Catch a Trakai- or Kaunas-bound train, get off at Paneriai and turn right on leaving the station. The site is at the very end of the road. To get there by car, drive out on Savanorių in the direction of Kaunas until you reach the E28 highway, peel off here and look for the pitifully few signs put up in order to help you get there. For a chilling, eye-witness account of the events that took place here, read Kazimierz Sakowicz’s extraordinary book Ponary Diary, 1941-1943, published by Yale.

Admission free.

Paneriai Memorial Museum comments Add Yours

• Berti - Vilnius 04 May 2009
  Just a tip beside - sometimes it seems difficult to find it with public transport. The Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum has a descritbion how to reach it with public transport - check it out under www.jmuseum.lt
  
  Its really not difficult to find it by bus or train!