A cemetery of one sort or another has been known to exist here since victims of the plague were buried on the site in 1710. During the German occupation of Vilnius during WWI the cemetery was used for soldiers from the German, Turkish, Polish and Russian armies. In 1948 at the height of the destruction of the final resting places of many of the former inhabitants of the city, the Soviet authorities ripped up the gravestones and the site lay abandoned until 1980 when it was unceremoniously turned into a children’s playground and public toilet. Thanks to the efforts of the Germans, the 6.5 hectare site was renovated in 2001, with various markers and a large monument placed where specific burial sites were known to exist. At the eastern entrance of Vingio Parkas, the cemetery offers a poignant glimpse inside the former rich ethnic tapestry that once made up the population of the city.