On the territory of the Russian Federation there are many places reminiscent of the tragic pages of the Great Patriotic War. One of them is the Zmievskaya beam in Rostov-on-Don. Here, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis killed about 27 thousand civilians, more than half of which were the Jewish population of the city. The beam became the largest place of extermination of people of this nationality on Russian lands during the entire period of the war. In 1975, a memorial complex was opened in its place, reminding humanity of the atrocities of the Nazi invaders in the occupied territories.
Events leading up to the tragedy
After the attack on the Soviet Union, the German invaders managed to move inland in a relatively short time. The first time they approached Rostov-on-Don in November 1941, but 11 days later, under the onslaught of the Red Army, they had to surrender their positions. The Germans again launched an attack on the city in the summer of 1942, as a result of which on July 24 they managed to capture it. Immediately after that, the Nazis ordered the registration of all local Jews who were 14 years old. For recognition, they were forced to wear identification marks on their clothes in the formhexagram (six-pointed star of David).
Preparation for the extermination of the Jewish people in Rostov-on-Don was carried out by the Eisantzgruppe (death squadron) “D”, headed by Commander-in-Chief V. Birkamp. The mass executions were led by Obersturmbannführer K. Christman. Zmievskaya beam was chosen as the place of extermination of the Jews. Digging deep ditches in it forced the Soviet military captured by the Nazis. After finishing work, they were shot and thrown into the pits dug by them.
Destruction of the Jewish population
On August 8, the Nazis distributed an order throughout the city, according to which Jews of both sexes and all ages were ordered to appear by the morning of the 11th at collection points, from where they would have to be relocated to a separate area of the city. Also, members of Jewish families should arrive at the designated places, even if they were representatives of other nationalities. Those who dared not come were threatened with execution. There were 6 collection points in total, the main one was located at the intersection of Bolshaya Sadovaya Street with Budyonovsky Prospekt. Now there is a city conservatory.
On the appointed day, thousands of Jews marched through the streets of Rostov: old people, women, and children. At the collection points, those who came according to the lists were checked, after which people began to be sorted. Those who could not move independently were put into trucks, the rest were built in columns of several hundred people. Crowds of Jews, surrounded by submachine gunners and dogs, were led to the Zmievskaya ravine, where freshly dug pits were already waiting for them. The disabled, the wounded and the elderly were transported in gas chamber cargo vans poisoned from the inside with exhaust carbon dioxide.
People were well aware that they were going to their death, but they had no chance to escape from the hands of the Nazis. At the place of execution, adult Jews were led to dug ditches and opened fire. The bodies of the dead were thrown into the pits. Children were killed in a different way: they smeared their lips with a fast-acting poison. Residents of nearby villages heard machine gun fire from the side of the beam throughout the night and the next day. According to historical documents, 13,6-15 thousand Jews and members of their families were killed there. Later, the Nazis began to shoot Soviet prisoners of war, underground workers, Komsomol members, people with mental illness, prisoners, and troublemakers in this place. The bodies of the murdered Gypsies, Kurds, Assyrians and Armenians were also dumped here. In total, Zmievskaya Balka in Rostov-on-Don became a grave for 27 thousand people.
Opening of the memorial complex
The residents of the city never forgot about the tragedy of 1942 and honored the memory of the people who died in it. Exactly 30 years after the defeat of Nazi Germany, on May 9, 1975, the Zmievskaya Balka memorial complex was solemnly opened at the site of the mass execution of the Jewish population, a photo of which can be seen in this article. It was created by architects N. Nersesyants and R. Muradyan, sculptors E. Lopko and B. Lopko, N. Avedikov. The memorial consisted of a sculptural composition, the Funeral Hall, the Alley of Sorrow, an observation deck, an eternal flame, pylons and organically fit into the landscape of the area.green spaces.
Description of the sculptural composition
The monument "Zmievskaya beam" is made of gray concrete. It is a monumental sculptural composition standing on the ground without a pedestal. In its center is a woman-mother, throwing her hands up in despair. On one side of her is a frightened child, and on the other, an elderly man kneeling with his hands tied in front of him. Near the old man are the figures of two more people, one of whom, with the last of his strength, tries to rise on his hands, and the second covered his face in horror.
Further fate of the complex
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Zmievskaya Balka memorial began to gradually collapse. Restoration work was carried out here only in 2009. Today, the memorial place has become one of the main attractions of Rostov-on-Don. Both local residents and tourists from other cities and countries come here to honor the memory of the victims of the Nazis.
Inscription on the commemorative plaque
In 2004, a memorial plaque was installed on Zmievskaya Balka, the text of which stated that more than 27 thousand representatives of Jewish nationality rest on the site of the memorial, and it itself is the largest Holocaust site in the country. After 5 years, the inscription was modified, removing the mention of the Jews from it. This was motivated by the fact that people of different nationalities were buried in a mass grave. The updated plate contained information about the burial in the beam 27thousands of civilians of the city and prisoners of war of the Soviet army.
In 2013, under pressure from public organizations that protect the rights of Jews, it was decided to change the text again. Today, the inscription on the commemorative plaque looks more compromise. Its essence boils down to the fact that on the territory of the memorial in 1942, the Nazis destroyed more than 27 thousand people of the civilian population of Rostov and the Red Army. Among them were representatives of different nationalities. The monument is the site of the largest extermination of Jews in Russia during the entire period of the war.
