Babyn Yar

Kyiv


On 29 September 1941, Nazi troops rounded up Kyiv's 34,000-strong Jewish population, marched them to the Babyn Yar ravine and massacred them. Victims were shot and buried in the ravine, some of them still alive. Today the site is a sobering memorial marked by a poignant menorah.

The Nazis would kill many more Jews and non-Jews here in subsequent years. The entire story is told through an open-air alley of placards, in Ukrainian and English, near the northeast park entrance on vul Oleny Telihy.

The site has been mired in controversy over the years. Because of their own anti-Semitism, it took decades for the Soviets to recognise the Babyn Yar tragedy before they finally erected a monument in 1976. The monument, a nonsectarian creation comprised of choking figures, infuriated the Jewish community. It made no mention of Jews, only of 'Soviet victims of fascism', and was located well south of the ravine where the atrocities occurred.

It wasn't until after the Soviet Union collapsed that the Jewish community was given permission to erect their menorah near the actual killing site. From the menorah, several paths lead to points overlooking the ravine itself.

The Nazis ultimately turned this entire area into the Syrets concentration camp, killing thousands more people of all ethnic, religious and political backgrounds. The total number of people buried here is estimated at 100,000. Close to a dozen monuments commemorating various groups targeted by the Nazis – among them Russian Orthodox priests, Ukrainian nationalists, Romany people and female Ukrainian slave labourers who were shipped to Germany – are scattered around the unkempt park.

The controversial Soviet monument is in an adjacent park south of Dorohozhychi metro and vul Melnykova.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kyiv attractions

1. Izolyatsia

2.22 MILES

Izolyatsia is a self-described platform for cultural initiatives and contemporary culture occupying an old shipyard in north Podil. Originally from…

2. Church of Mykola Prytysk

2.57 MILES

The Church of Mykola Prytysk survived the 1811 fire that destroyed much of Podil. This Ukrainian Orthodox church is the oldest structure in the district …

3. Florivsky Monastery

2.61 MILES

This 15th-century women's convent remained open during the communist era. Pass through the bell tower to the peaceful grounds, which contain several…

4. Pharmacy Museum

2.63 MILES

This museum is set in the premises of an early-19th-century German pharmacy. There are separate rooms dedicated to alchemy and witchcraft – all quite…

5. Bulgakov Museum

2.72 MILES

The much-loved author of The Master and Margarita lived in this house between 1906 and 1919 – long before writing his most famous book. The house became…

6. Chornobyl Museum

2.73 MILES

It's hard to convey the full horror of the world's worst nuclear accident, but the Chornobyl Museum makes a valiant attempt. It is not so much a museum as…

7. Peyzazhna aleya

2.74 MILES

Starting by the National Museum of Ukrainian History, the alley skirts around a large ravine offering great views of the city. It's always full of people…

8. Museum of One Street

2.81 MILES

This museum lays out individual histories of Andriyivsky uzviz buildings. The sheer jumble-sale eclecticism of the collection – showcasing the lives of,…