The new exposition will introduce the painful history of Paneriai and the latest research results. The signage outdoors introduces unique objects in this territory, including mass killing pits, bunker-pit, and memorials commemorating the victims.
The new exposition and exhibition will present information in four languages, including Lithuanian, English, Polish and Hebrew, the Vilna Gaon Jewish Museum said.
The museum’s historian Zigmas Vaitkus, in charge of the Paneriai Memorial, says this area has lacked consistent research so far.
“The story of mass murder in Paneriai has been pretty well documented but only fragmented research of the area itself has been done. … Following the research carried out in 2015-2017, we can now “read” the Paneriai Memorial area more easily. In other words, we now know where every object used to stand and what function it had during the killing,” Vaitkus said.
Up to 70,000 people, mainly Jews, were shot dead by the Nazis and their collaborators in Paneriai in 1941-1944.