On the premises of a winery on the outskirts of Bakhmut a memorial commemorates since 1999 the approximately 3,000 Jews who were murdered there in early 1942.
Bakhmut, undated, Historic postcard with a view of the town, public domain
Bakhmut, undated, View of the memorial, Bakhmutska miska rada
Bakhmut, located in the so-called Donets basin in the south-east of Ukraine was renamed in 1924 to Artemovsk (Ukrainian: Artemivsk) in honour of the communist revolutionary Artyom (1883–1921) and only in February 2016 regained its historical name.
First documentations of Jewish inhabitants date back to the 18th century. In 1939 5,299 Jews lived in Bakhmut, accounting for 10% of the population. The German Wehrmacht occupied the city on November 1, 1941. The majority of the Jewish population had fled to the interior of the Soviet Union beforehand. The Germans put anti-Jewish measures in place and established a local police force which actively participated in the persecution of Jews. Under the pretext of resettling them all Bakhmut Jews had to turn up at the municipal park on January 9, 1942. The German occupation authorities forced them to hand over their valuables, then imprisoned them in the cellars of the former NKVD building. After several days without food and water the Sonderkommando (special unit) 4b of the Einsatzgruppe (mobile killing unit) C led the Jews to an alabaster mine two kilometres outside of town and forced them into a shaft. Members of the Sonderkommando (special unit) shot into the crowd killing several people. The other victims suffocated after the Germans bricked up the tunnel.
First documentations of Jewish inhabitants date back to the 18th century. In 1939 5,299 Jews lived in Bakhmut, accounting for 10% of the population. The German Wehrmacht occupied the city on November 1, 1941. The majority of the Jewish population had fled to the interior of the Soviet Union beforehand. The Germans put anti-Jewish measures in place and established a local police force which actively participated in the persecution of Jews. Under the pretext of resettling them all Bakhmut Jews had to turn up at the municipal park on January 9, 1942. The German occupation authorities forced them to hand over their valuables, then imprisoned them in the cellars of the former NKVD building. After several days without food and water the Sonderkommando (special unit) 4b of the Einsatzgruppe (mobile killing unit) C led the Jews to an alabaster mine two kilometres outside of town and forced them into a shaft. Members of the Sonderkommando (special unit) shot into the crowd killing several people. The other victims suffocated after the Germans bricked up the tunnel.
Bakhmut, undated, Historic postcard with a view of the town, public domain
Bakhmut, undated, View of the memorial, Bakhmutska miska rada
There are large differences in the number of victims given by the German perpetrators and the findings of the official Soviet commission of inquiry which examined the murder scene in October 1943. According to the report of the report of the Security Service of the SS (SD) from March 6, 1942 the Sonderkommando (special Unit) 4b murdered 1,224 Jews in Bakhmut and declared the city to be »free of Jews«. The Soviet authorities reported the number of victims to be 3,000.
Bakhmut, undated, Historic postcard of the alabaster factory, public domain
Bakhmut, 1943, Identification of victims, public domain
After liberation the Soviet commission of inquiry managed to identify about 400 victims with the help of inhabitants. In the following decades the Soviet authorities were no longer interested in investigating the crime more thoroughly. Likewise the victims' Jewish identity was rarely referred to, for decades they were generally called »victims of fascism«.
In the former alabaster mine where the crime took place a winery producing Crimean sparkling wine opened in 1952. On January 1999 »Hesed Zikaron«, a charitable Jewish foundation in Bakhmut (back then still Artemivsk) together with the city council and the winery opened a memorial to the victims. The memorial has the shape of a wailing wall. It is located at a rock face where water collects. Two figurines are placed in a niche of a brick wall. Mounted to the wall are stylized candles. Regular commemorative events with witnesses and victims' relatives are held there.
In the former alabaster mine where the crime took place a winery producing Crimean sparkling wine opened in 1952. On January 1999 »Hesed Zikaron«, a charitable Jewish foundation in Bakhmut (back then still Artemivsk) together with the city council and the winery opened a memorial to the victims. The memorial has the shape of a wailing wall. It is located at a rock face where water collects. Two figurines are placed in a niche of a brick wall. Mounted to the wall are stylized candles. Regular commemorative events with witnesses and victims' relatives are held there.
Bakhmut, undated, View of the memorial, Bakhmutska miska rada
Bakhmut, undated, Memorial plaque, Bakhmutska miska rada
- Name
- Stina Platschu (стіна плачу)
- Address
-
ul. Patrisa Lumumby 87
84500 Bachmut - Phone
- +380 (800) 40 19 50
- Web
- https://artwinery.com.ua/tours
- Open
- One has to book a guided tour of the wine cellars to visit the memorial.