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| "Victims of the Deportation" |
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| On May 18, 2004 Evpatoria unveiled Crimea’s first memorial to all the nationality of the peninsula that were victimized by the deportation. |
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The Idea of the making such a monument was approved by the pan-national community. From three projects presented, a plan prepared by an Evpatorian designer won: a fragment of a freight-car, crowded with people. Such a tragic symbol of the deportation, showing the terror of lack of information and grief over parting from countrymen as it turned into a reality for Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Armenians, Greek and Germans.
Evpatorian sculptor V. Zaykov did the bas-relief with scenes of the deportation. In the work he placed scenes of real people from photographs sent to him by ethnic communities. The appearance of the people, pieces of ethnic clothing and emphasis on expression all work to bring the bas-relief alive, with sorrow and grief the pervading emotions.
The monument directs the spirit upwards: all people are united under one god, in understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation.
At the unveiling of the monument, representatives of the nations victimized by the deportation were present. Holy men such as the imam of the Han-Jami mosque, the abbot of the Holy Elinsky Church, an Armenian priest and a German preacher read prayers in memory of all the victims of this terrible event.
Evpatoria has traditionally been a city where people of different nationalities and religious beliefs have lived in harmony. The deportation was a tragedy for all Crimeans. 1696 Germans were taken from the city, 6170 Crimean Tatars, 72 Bulgarians, 786 Greeks and 379 Armenians. These numbers are memorialized on the monument.
"The tragedy of the deportation is an unforgettable pain in the historical fate of the Crimean peoples" states the inscription on the new monument. The square by the railway station where the monument stands is named the ‘Park of Memory and Harmony’. Monuments such as this guarantee that this type of thing will not be repeated. | |
