Dem'ianiv Laz
Encyclopedia
Dem'ianiv Laz is a mass burial site of victims of NKVD
executions committed in the wake of the German
occupation of Stanisławów
(modern Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukraine
in 1941. At least 524 victims (including 150 women and some children) were buried in several mass graves in a small gorge outside of the city.
The mass murder
site was located in the vicinity of a small village called Pasieczna, in a gorge called Demianów Łaz at the outskirts of Stanisławów (modern Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
), in Soviet-occupied Poland. Some of the victims were killed in the infamous NKVD
prison in Stanisławów, others were brough to the site in order to dig mass graves prior to their own execution.
During World War II
the site was discovered by the German forces. After the war, in the 1960s the Soviet authorities tried to bulldoze the area in order to cover all traces of the crime. In 1970, following the Radio Liberty
broadcast about Dem'ianiv Laz, the site's landscape was changed by heavy machinery to hinder any future attempts to excavate it. The cover-up continued almost until the end of the Soviet Union, as in 1984 and 1985 the site was further covered with rubble and debris of several demolished buildings.
Despite these efforts, in 1989 remains of more than 500 men, women and children were uncovered during excavation performed by a local branch of the Memorial
society. Only 22 victims were identified by name and all were Polish citizens of either Polish or Ukrainian ethnicity. The memorial complex "Dem'ianiv Laz" was opened near the excavation site in 1998.
After the invasion in 1941, German authorities perpetrated another action against Polish inteligentsia. Czarny Las Massacre
was committed several km away.
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
executions committed in the wake of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation of Stanisławów
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
(modern Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in 1941. At least 524 victims (including 150 women and some children) were buried in several mass graves in a small gorge outside of the city.
The mass murder
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
site was located in the vicinity of a small village called Pasieczna, in a gorge called Demianów Łaz at the outskirts of Stanisławów (modern Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), in Soviet-occupied Poland. Some of the victims were killed in the infamous NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
prison in Stanisławów, others were brough to the site in order to dig mass graves prior to their own execution.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the site was discovered by the German forces. After the war, in the 1960s the Soviet authorities tried to bulldoze the area in order to cover all traces of the crime. In 1970, following the Radio Liberty
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
broadcast about Dem'ianiv Laz, the site's landscape was changed by heavy machinery to hinder any future attempts to excavate it. The cover-up continued almost until the end of the Soviet Union, as in 1984 and 1985 the site was further covered with rubble and debris of several demolished buildings.
Despite these efforts, in 1989 remains of more than 500 men, women and children were uncovered during excavation performed by a local branch of the Memorial
Memorial (society)
Memorial is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-Soviet states. It focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in post-Soviet states....
society. Only 22 victims were identified by name and all were Polish citizens of either Polish or Ukrainian ethnicity. The memorial complex "Dem'ianiv Laz" was opened near the excavation site in 1998.
After the invasion in 1941, German authorities perpetrated another action against Polish inteligentsia. Czarny Las Massacre
Czarny Las Massacre
Czarny Las Massacre was a mass murder of around 250 Poles, carried out by Gestapo, on order of SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Krüger in Czarny Las near Stanisławów, in the night of August 14/15, 1941....
was committed several km away.
External links
- http://memorial.kiev.ua/expo/eng/demlaz.html
- http://www.sakharov-center.ru/asfcd/pam/pam_card.xtmpl?id=348 (Russian)
- http://www.poshuk-lviv.org.ua/ru/pomnik/ifrank/dem_laz.htm (Russian)
- http://www.newsru.ua/ukraine/11oct2009/demianovlaz.html (Ukrainian)