Personal belongings helped identify around 120 victims from an execution in early 1945.
Poland has honored over 700 recently discovered victims of Nazi Germany’s mass executions in a ceremony marking the anniversary of World War II’s outbreak.
On Monday, the country held a state burial for the remains unearthed in what is now known as the Valley of Death, located in northern Poland.
The solemn observances took place in the town of Chojnice, where a funeral Mass at the local basilica set the stage for the interment. All victims were laid to rest with full military honors at a nearby cemetery.
Small wooden coffins were adorned with the country’s national white and red colors. Relatives of those identified by the state National Remembrance Institute attended the service.
An aide to President Andrzej Duda and other local authorities were also present.
Bishop Ryszard Kasyna, who presided over the Mass, emphasized the importance of restoring dignity and memory to those who had suffered.
„We want to give back memory, we want to give back dignity to the victims of the crimes in Chojnice“, he said.
