Chișinãu is the capital of the Republic of Moldova. The war cemetery is located on the northern outskirts of the city on the "Strada Doina" in the municipality of Grătiești. The cemetery was inaugurated on May 20, 2006. 6,525 dead had been laid to rest here by 2017.
Description of the cemetery
The German war cemetery in Chișinãu is home to the remains of German soldiers who lost their lives in the Moldova region between 1939 and 1945. The three-hectare site of the war cemetery was made available free of charge by the government of the Republic of Moldova. It is located between the civilian cemetery of the city of Chișinãu and the municipal cemetery of Grătiești.
The front of the military cemetery is bordered by a wrought iron fence, the other sides by a simple wire fence. Tree and shrub plantings characterize the lawned area. A path paved with granite stones connects the entrance building with the memorial square - the central point of the site. A seven-meter high metal cross stands there. A circular path leads around the site, where groups of symbolic crosses, each consisting of three granite crosses, mark the burial plots. The names of those buried there are immortalized on granite steles, along with their rank, date of birth and date of death, if known.
The first burials in 2001 were followed by many more. At the end of 2017, the number of soldiers buried here was 6,525. Once all the work has been completed, the cemetery will be the final resting place of more than 30,000 German war dead.
History
During the Second World War, many German soldiers lost their lives in combat on the territory of the Republic of Moldova or died in captivity. Proper burials were hardly possible. For this reason, the Volksbund is still searching for field graves throughout the country.
The German-Moldovan War Graves Agreement, in force since May 1997, formed the legal basis for the establishment of the Chișinãu war cemetery. This agreement is intended to ensure the preservation and maintenance of the German war graves in the Republic of Moldova in accordance with the provisions of international law.
In 1998, the German War Graves Commission began to record and survey soldiers' graves in the Republic of Moldova. This does not include Transnistria, which has been de facto independent since 1990 but is not recognized internationally.
Special feature
At the entrance to the war cemetery in Chișinãu, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. (German War Graves Commission) had a plaque affixed with a quote from Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer: "Military cemeteries are the great preachers of peace!"
