15min a reporter visited the site last weekend and found traces of a quad bike or similar vehicle.
This is evidenced by the laid grass and tire marks on the track near the memorial.
Photo by Ramūnas Jakubauskas/The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonia šile
About the fact that four-wheelers often buzz here, 15min Jonas, a pensioner living nearby, also revealed.
“Well, they go through here, around – in a circle (…) Here they go around like this and go to the cemetery again. That’s how the wheel is made,” said the 80-year-old.
“They are dense here hounds drives,” he added.
Photo by Ramūnas Jakubauskas/The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonia šile
Julia Samorokovskaja, representative of the Vilnius County Police, informed 15minthat this year the police had received two reports related to disturbing the peace in Pivonia sila.
One is for a quad bike, the other is for a forest truck.
What are the solutions?
The chairman of the local Jewish community, Artūras Taicas, calls it acts of vandalism, of which there have already been far more than the police say – at least nine – during the year.
“Since November of last year, there have been nine cases of vandalism, our position is clear – we also called the police (…) This is a state-protected area and we, as a community, as descendants of those killed, do not really want someone with a quad bike or something else would drive there”, – 15min said a local Jewish community leader.
“There were a lot of those cases, very sad,” he added.
Photo by Ramūnas Jakubauskas/The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonia šile
According to him, the problem could be solved very simply – to enclose the territory with a fence.
“If a fence were to appear there, those problems would probably be solved,” emphasized A. Taicas.
According to the chairman of the local Jewish community, negotiations are currently underway with the municipality regarding the installation of a fence, which could possibly be completed next year.
The installation of video cameras is also discussed.
Photo by Ramūnas Jakubauskas/The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonia šile
“We had a meeting with the new mayor and invited the heritage protection (…) Now we are also talking about the installation of video cameras with both the Ukmergė police chief and the mayor,” said A.Taicas.
It will cost up to 10 thousand. euros
At that time, the mayor of Ukmergė district, Darius Varnas 15min said that video cameras are unlikely to be installed.
However, new signs have now been erected indicating that this is the site of a Jewish massacre.
If signs to discourage ATVs do not help, the area is to be cordoned off to prevent anyone from entering.
Žygimantos Gedvilas/BNS photo/Darius Varnas
“We will build a fence. There will be such a standard, mechanical firewall. It has to fit in, you can’t build a three-meter fence there,” said the head of the local district.
According to him, such a firewall would cost up to 10 thousand. euros.
One of the largest places of execution
The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonija Hill is one of the largest in Lithuania – in terms of the number of people killed, it is surpassed only by Paneriai in Vilnius and Fort IX in Kaunas.
“Third largest site of the Holocaust. Panzers first and Fort IX second. The third is Ukmergė – many people from Ukmergė and surrounding residents were killed”, said A.Taicas.
According to him, his relatives were also killed in Pivonia heath.
The killing of Jews in Pivonia Forest began in July 1941, and mass killings began in August and ended in September, and individual Jews were also killed here in 1943.
Photo by Ramūnas Jakubauskas/The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonia šile
At that time, Jews were driven to this place from the nearby Vaitkuškis manor, where a kind of “distribution point” was set up, as well as from the Ukmergė prison.
Not only SS officer Joachim Hamann’s “flying squad” took part in the executions, but also the so-called White Belts from Žemaitkiem, Vidiškii and Kavarsk.
The Jews were transported or driven to Pivonia shil in groups of several dozen, where the execution took place in such a way that the Germans together with the white collars ordered the Jews to jump into the pit and then shot them.
Before that, they were told to undress. If they did not obey, they were beaten with rifle butts.
It is believed that the executioners were about 100 Lithuanians and 20 Germans.
Photo by Ramūnas Jakubauskas/The site of the Jewish massacre in Pivonia šile
Until the beginning of World War II, about 8 thousand people lived in Ukmerge alone. Jews. Most of them, like the Jews from the surrounding villages, were killed in the Pivonia heath.
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