In March 1940 Polish citizens (63 families, 279 individuals) deported from land occupied by the USSR arrived in Yozhma. The first inhabitants of the special settlement, dekulakized peasant families, were moved to other forested areas of the Pinezhsky district.
The cemetery was 300 metres from the settlement. The Poles were buried in individual graves surmounted by crosses and nameplates. Burials continued into 1942. Thereafter the cemetery was not used. The exact number buried here is unknown. Names of 15 who died in 1940-1942 have been established.
The graveyard was discovered in 1989-1990 by local historian G.A. Danilova. In 2008 it was investigated by an expedition organised by the Polish Consulate in Saint Petersburg. Nine crosses are still standing in the graveyard and fragments of 11 others have been found. There are barely legible inscriptions on four of the crosses. In 2011 a youth group from Cracow raised a commemorative cross here bearing the words “1940-2011: Cmentarz polski / Polish cemetery”.
| Date | Nature of ceremonies | Organiser or responsible person | Participants | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
nk
|
Requiem masses according to the Catholic rite
|
nk
|
nk
|
from time to time
|
| State of burials | Area | Boundaries |
|---|---|---|
|
Grave mounds visible
|
0.35 hectares
|
not delineated
|
[ original texts and hyperlinks ]
V. Koshkina, “For whom the bell tolls”, Pinezhe, 13 March 1999
G.A. Danilova, “The Polish cemetery in Yozhma”, The Pinega settlement and its surroundings, Arkhangelsk, 2008
*
“Polish graveyard in Yozhma special settlement”, Virtual Museum of the Gulag [retrieved, 28 May 2022]
