Paneriai Memorial

The Paneriai Memorial, at Agrastų g. 15 in the Paneriai district of south-west Vilnius, Lithuania, marks the site where about 70,000 people, most of them Jewish, were killed during World War II. It lies roughly 10 km from the Old Town and is the shortest of the day trips in the Vilnius area, taking 20 to 30 minutes. The simplest public route is a train from Vilnius railway station (Geležinkelio g. 16) to the Paneriai stop, about 10 minutes and €1-2, followed by a walk of about 1.5 km; see ltglink.lt for the several daily departures. A Bolt or taxi costs about €8-12 one way. The grounds are free to enter, and the small museum costs about €2-4. The memorial consists of wooded grounds, the pits where the killings took place, monuments in several languages and walking paths that lead around the site. The museum exhibition explains the history of the killings and the Jewish community of Vilnius, once known as the Jerusalem of the North. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a considered visit. A suggested arc is to travel in the morning, spend time at the museum and the grounds, and then return to the city for a walk through the Jewish Quarter, which places the story in context. Lunch is best taken in the city, as there are few food options at the site. The site is open year round, and April to October is most comfortable for walking the paths, though visits in other months are possible with warm clothing. The atmosphere is sombre, so visitors are expected to dress modestly, keep voices low and behave respectfully throughout.