Paneriai is the largest mass killing site in Lithuania, yet before the German occupation the status of this place was entirely different: holidaymakers enjoyed the picturesque surroundings and the Paneriai Forest near Vilnius. In the spring of 1941, pits for fuel storage began to be dug in Paneriai by order of the Soviet authorities, but the project was never completed. When the Germans occupied Vilnius on 24 June 1941, they noticed the unfinished fuel depot near Paneriai railway station, and it ultimately became a site of mass killings. After the war, in 1960, the Paneriai Memorial Museum was established at the mass killing site and operated as a branch of the Vilnius Museum of Local Lore. In 1962, the museum became a division of the Lithuanian SSR Museum of History and Revolution. In 1977, the memorial park was officially named the Paneriai Memorial. In 1985, the memorial grounds were landscaped according to a design by the architect Jaunutis Makariūnas and acquired their present form. At present, the search continues for the most suitable way of putting the Paneriai mass killing site to use and presenting its complex history.

Based on: Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History, website jmuseum.lt, section “Branches”, page “Paneriai Memorial”.