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Best Paneriai memorial rearrangement idea to be selected

Changes await Paneriai Memorial, the site commemorating the most egregious Nazi crime in Lithuania. The Ministry of Culture of Lithuania and the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum announced a tender in June 2014 for the idea of a comprehensive rearrangement of Paneriai Memorial to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and all victims of Nazism. Sixteen projects from both Lithuania and abroad were submitted. Public evaluation of the projects took place on 9 October. 

We seek to make Paneriai an important centre of Holocaust commemoration and education by rearranging the memorial. A contemporary visitor, whether a Japanese tourist or a Lithuanian school student, must walk out of Paneriai a changed person. His spiritual world must acquire a clear moral and humanistic focus,” Markas Zingeris, director of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, said when greeting the participants of the event.

 

Welcoming speech by director Markas Zingeris Vice Minister of Culture Romas Jarockis speaking
   

The following experts expressed their opinions: Prof Marius Pranas Šaliamoras, chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Architects and head of the Department of Architecture at Vilnius Academy of Arts, Dr Tomas Grunskis, professor at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, and Jurga Silvija Večerskytė-Šimeliūnė, landscape architect and designer of the Bernardinų Garden reconstruction project. They evaluated how impressive and impactful each of the sixteen projects were from an artistic and architectural point of view, as well as how to preserve authentic elements and how to accommodate them with the natural and historical environment. 

 
Marius P. Šaliamoras, chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Architects,
discusses architectural projects
Evaluation by architect Tomas Gurskis
 
   
Landscape architect Jurga S. Večerskytė-Šimeliūnė reviews the projects Greetings by Martynas Užpelkis, LJC representative for heritage
   
Public address by the Member of Parliament of the Republic of Lithuanian Emanuelis Zingeris Public address by Dr Jacek Nowakowski, senior curator at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
   

The projects were also discussed by foreign historians: Dr Jacek Nowakowski, senior curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Dr Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum (Poland). 

 
   
Speech by Dr Piotr Cywinski, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum Foreign experts: Dr Jacek Nowakowski and Dr Piotr M. A. Cywinski
   

According to Mr Cywinski, the greatest asset of the Paneriai memorial is its serenity and emptiness. It would be a mistake to fill it with objects: “Artistic solutions in places like Paneriai must be moderate in terms of their expression, restrained and subtle, and at the same time they must reflect the authenticity of the memorial. It is important that the voice of the architect does not break the silence of the victims,” Dr Piotr Cywinski said.

According to Dr Jacek Nowakowski, a great Holocaust memorial is both informative and respectful to the victims. It must not contain architectural elements that dominate the environment. He also said he agreed with the idea of using modern technologies at the memorial: “If used wisely, they would allow educational facilities to penetrate the environment without compromising the authenticity of the site”.

The three best ideas for the comprehensive rearrangement of the Paneriai Memorial will be announced in the near future, and reconstruction should be completed in several years with financing from the Republic of Lithuania and support funds of the European Union.

 
   
Commission members: director Markas Zingeris, deputy director Jūratė Razumienė and Zigmas Vitkus, head of Paneriai memorial exposition Public presentation of the ideas to rearrange Paneriai memorial
   
   
Public presentation of the ideas to rearrange Paneriai memorial 
   
After the presentation experts took part in discussion and answered questions from the audience
 
Modified: 2/4/2015 1
Information
2017.03.01

 

 If you want to order a guided tour or educational programme please contact us in advance:
tel. 
 +370 60163612, 
email:
 muziejus@jmuseum.lt

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If you want to order an educational programme, please contact us at:  +370 5 212 0112,
+370 6 8986 191 or via email
muziejus@jmuseum.lt

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   Tolerance Center 
(Naugarduko St. 10/2) 
working hours:

Monday,Thursday: 10:00-18:00
Tuesday, Wednesday: 10:00-18:00
Friday: 10:00-16:00
Saturday-closed,
Sunday: 10:00-16:00

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  Holocaust Exposition 
(Pamėnkalnio St. 12) 
working hours:

Monday-Thursday: 9:00-17:00
Friday: 9:00-16:00
Saturday-closed
Sunday: 10:00-16:00

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  Memorial Museum of Paneriai
(Agrastų St. 15, Aukštieji Paneriai)
working hours:
Monday-closed
Tuesday–Sunday 9:00-17:00
From October until May the Memorial Museum is open by appointment only.

If you are interested in visiting the museum/the memorial with a tour guide, please contact us at least a day in advance at
+370 699 90 384  or via email mantas.siksnianas@jmuseum.lt

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© Penki Kontinentai 2006. All rights received.