war memorial holocaust victims world war forest near forest biggest mass murder site holocaust memorial territories spanning square metres marked burial sites victims buried total memorial initially planned construction started delayed declared independence construction revived german war graves commission help local organisations german cities financed german government organisations involved city donations designed opened november description architect memorial russian worked years design memorial saying human obligation devote career memorial located forest passing forest memorial territories square metres wide sides road addition smaller forest pathways roads leading memorial central square historic road bring victims main central road paved concrete marked concrete arc exiting street centre assembly houses black granite cube symbolic altar book job earth don cover blood let cry place rest russian german hebrew languages immediate area surrounded granite stones arranged grid metre squares resembles traditional jewish cemetery unique rough metre high granite stones black gray reddish colors come region ukraine stones carved european city names representing home towns victims entrances memorial grave sites forest marked concrete pillars symbols representing groups fallen star david representing jews crown representing war prisoners christian cross representing civilians historians educational establishment house historians member cities documented names victims published book remembrance german austrian jews deported despite nature memorial surrounding hills popular summer hiking winter skiing location germany supplies annual funding memorial maintenance insufficient fund regular police patrols surveillance memorial times time attracting media attention history forest biggest mass murder site holocaust world war years marked mass burial sites forest people reported killed including western european jews soviet prisoners war nazis political adversaries exact number victims unknown soviet declared murders later excavations confirm number number victims speculated closer victims thousand men arrested july brought jews brought germany austria czechoslovakia prisoners brought unable work concentration camp followed camp unable work onwards nazis dug graves burned bodies hide evidence estimated victims buried forest planning construction 1960s simple commemorative plaque placed forest grave sites marked concrete borders plaque stated soviet citizens died omitted mentioning location neglected slowly plans forest grave site cleanup formed team team included lead project received approval state funding works continued current government dissolved declared independence work halted fifth completion surrounding terrain cleared central entrance memorial signs erected project revived initiative expert obtained permission continue construction work austria brought project attention german war graves commission dozen german cities german city representatives president met berlin form chapter formed plan build war memorial forest commemorate jews deported killed start 1940s project funded german war graves commission german government including germany donations german town municipalities work carried projected cost actual project cost memorial opened november years start event opened president speech noted importance raising people awareness events took place event attended including prime minister chief officials ambassadors countries concentration camp inmates relatives victims lithuania estonia germany israel austria russia research education remembrance events held opening ceremony opening following events received local foreign media coverage opening ceremony ended jewish prayer jewish community reception architect says attempted idea memorial language architectural forms goal encompass surrounding terrain line contemporary art art historian called project successful lauded design avoiding themes hand noted memorial fit terrain architect said project successful successful ones stressed positive nature memorial pain describes kind eastern_europe
Bikernieki Memorial