Holocaust Memorial in Palanga Memorial site

The Holocaust Memorial is dedicated to the Jews murdered during World War II. Archival documents show that on June 26, 1941, the commander of the Kretinga White Ribbon Unit and the county police, Pranas Jakys (Lukys), ordered the arrest of all Jews in Palanga. In Palanga, German Gestapo officers and Klaipėda GPK police officers requested assistance from the temporary city committee in arresting Jews. The perpetrators of the massacres were gathered near the police building, where it was stated that the Jews had set fire to Kretinga and would soon burn Palanga, so they needed to be arrested. About 250 people were herded near the bus station. The men were kept in a synagogue, and the women and children in a camp set up in the village of Valderiškės. On June 27, 1941, the men (111 Jews of various ages) were driven to the sea and shot near Birutė Hill. The shooting was carried out by German soldiers led by aviation major Hans Stojer.