Bringing the story of Babyn Yar back to life

In 1961, sixteen years after the end of World War Two, Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtuschenko wrote his haunting work Babyn Yar, which mournfully and famously opens with the line: “No monument stands over Babyn Yar.” Indeed, a visit to the scenic park which now marks the area of Babyn Yar in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv gives little indication of the horror which unfolded there just over 79 years ago. Just days after the Nazis occupied Kyiv in September 1941, around 34,000 of the city’s Jews were marched to the Babyn Yar ravine and were callously shot dead over a two-day period. It became a seminal moment, ushering in the mass shooting of around 1.5 million Jews in Eastern Europe. Later large-scale killings at the same site saw the Nazis also murder tens of thousands of Ukrainian political opponents, Russian prisoners, Roma, mentally ill and others. Babyn Yar is Europe’s largest mass grave.

Yet until now, the Babyn Yar story has largely gone untold. As the poet Yevtuschenko bravely publicized, decades of Soviet attempts to mask the past, to hide a history which didn’t comply with the prevailing Communist narrative, left Babyn Yar bereft of any meaningful memorial to the multitude of Jewish victims, killed purely because of their Jewishness. Today, the sole reminder is a modest Menorah (Jewish candelabra) monument installed shortly after Ukrainian independence. Things are finally about to change though, with the development of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC). The project will comprise a world-class Holocaust museum, the first in the region, which is set to utilize innovative technologies to engage and educate a new generation. Although the museum’s doors are unlikely to open until 2026, BYHMC is already very actively perpetuating the memory of the Babyn Yar massacre. Twelve research and education projects are in full swing, giving people the opportunity to discover and learn more.

Meanwhile, BYHMC has also developed powerful physical reminders of the tragedy which unfolded, for all those who visit the site.  In September, on the 79^th anniversary of the massacre, in the presence of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, BYHMC unveiled three brand new outdoor memorials at Babyn Yar. Together, the three installations combine powerful audio and visual elements, giving the visitor a multi-sensory and thought-provoking experience.

BYHMC’s artistic director Ilya Khrzanovskiy puts its succinctly, “Hard facts in the form of documentary evidence are just one way to tell a story.” He believes that an emotional experience is critical. “It is this emotive connection that can really make an impact and ensure that historical lessons are learned,” he added.

One of the new installations is the striking Mirror Field, featuring ten six-foot high steel columns. Visual artist Denis Shibanov was responsible for developing the monument. He says that the central idea came to him immediately. Each column is marked with a cascade of bullet holes. In total, the ten columns contain 100,000 bullet holes, representing the individual lives of the 100,000 or so people murdered in total at Babyn Yar. Beyond the numerical significance and the shocking visual effect, Shibanov wants the bullet holes to have a reflective impact on the visitor. “When a person comes close, they can see the reflection of their own face next to a bullet hole – In other words, any of us could be the potential victim.” However, night brings a note of hope, as the columns are illuminated, sending shards of light into the sky.

The top of each column has been exploded and so as visitors gaze upwards, they are confronted with a mess of tangled steel against the backdrop of the sky. Shibanov hopes that the striking contrast evokes a duality of emotions. He said, “Hopefully, there is a mixture of feelings. Horror and hope for the future. Cold. Empty space. The horror of what human beings can do. On the other hand, the sky gives hope.”

The visual impact of the columns is complemented by a powerful audio experience. An organ made of plastic drain pipes has been installed underneath the Mirror Field. "The drainpipe organ" was conceived and designed by Ukrainian multi-media artist Maksym Demydenko. This electro-acoustic organ is comprised of 24 plastic drainage pipes of various diameters and lengths and features internal speakers tuned to different frequencies. Reproducing sound frequencies through this organ, which correspond to the numerical value of victims’ names calculated from Hebrew letters, creates a mixture of resonances and reflections. In Demydenko's words “a miraculous piece of music is constantly emanating in tribute to the memory of the victims of Babyn Yar”.

The second new installation is the collection of Monoculars. The name itself gives some sense of the visual and emotional journey to come. Two types of monoculars have been installed. One version, positioned around the Mirror Field’s perimeter, are a series of red granite structures, each evoking a silhouette. At each monocular, the visitor can read biographical details of a Babyn Yar victim and piece together the life that was lost. As Shibanov explains, these monoculars are intended to encourage empathy with the victims. “The silhouettes created by these monoculars are shaped like a target on a firing range. In other words, when the visitor confronts them, not only do they learn about the victims, but they ponder how each and every one of us is a potential target.” Ultimately, says Shibanov, “There is a life behind each silhouette. Visitors can ask themselves, what school did they attend? What did their house look like?”

The second version of the monocular is a similarly undefined shape, made from rough red granite. Each of these 15 statues is positioned at the exact point where Nazi military photographer Johannes Hahle took 15 photographs of Babyn Yar in October 1941. Through a viewfinder embedded in each statue, visitors can see the photograph as recorded by Hahle. The monocular becomes a window into the past through the eyes of those responsible for its horrors.

The final new memorial is the Menorah Monument Audio Walk. 32 specially installed pillars line the 300-meter path from the main road towards Babyn Yar’s existing Menorah monument. The audio walk takes the visitor on an experiential journey. Emanating from each pillar are voices, young and old, men and women, reading the names of the 19,000 victims of the Babyn Yar massacre who have been identified so far. Each speaker operates from an independent audio channel. As a result, the direction and speed of each visitor as they walk, creates a unique audio experience. Demydenko came up with the concept, saying he wanted “to find a way to read the names of the innocent victims” in the midst of Babyn Yar’s expanse.

Demydenko added another audio element as visitors get closer to the Menorah. The names of the dead are joined by the traditional Jewish prayer for the souls of the departed. At the culmination of the walk, another Jewish song is introduced, a 1920s recording sung by a Kyiv-trained cantor. It is a reminder of the vibrant Jewish world that was so tragically obliterated.

The three new installations are a key part of BYHMC’s commitment towards providing a multi-dimensional experience to learn history. By engaging multiple senses, they ensure that the horror of Babyn Yar can resonate and speak to people for generations to come. The Museum promises to continue this process, combining research with technology and ultimately playing an important role as the world grapples to preserve the memory of the Holocaust. As the survivors of humanity’s darkest hour continue to dwindle, it will serve as a timely and thought-provoking memorial to one of the Holocaust’s most shocking episodes. In the words of Denis Shibanov: “I want people to understand that every person is a world and every killing was the destruction of an entire world.” In this spirit, the three new monuments represent a significant step towards finally answering the poet Yevtuschenko’s lament more than half a century ago, that a memorial should indeed stand at Babyn Yar.

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