The Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance in Sighetu Marmației, is housed in a former prison where political prisoners were held under communism. Having visited it in the morning, we then moved on to the associated Pauper’s Cemetery on the outskirts of the city, which is also known as the Cemetery of the Poor.
It was here that some of the 54 prisoners who died in Sighetu were buried. But exact numbers are not known as the communists were in the habit of covering their tracks and the names of the dead were neither recorded officially nor marked.
The graves were made to vanish in time, and the cemetery was abandoned. In the 1990s when it was used as grazing land, it is said that horses would often unearth unidentified human skulls. Attempts to identify the dead using lasers and archaeological excavations have been unsuccessful.
In 1999, the cemetery was restored, with the outline of Romania created around it through the planting of fir trees.
We followed the outline passing stone plaques on the ground, carved with the names of Romanian citizens who died in the Soviet Union after being deported.
A stone altar was placed at the location of Sighetu Marmației on the map. Behind, was a limestone cross in the Byzantine style carved by stone mason Constantine Marinette. In a niche beneath, urns contained earth from other prisons, labour camps, deportation centres and places of execution.
In the background were several elaborately carved wooden crosses which have been erected over the course of time by associations and families of the victims. As there was to be a commemoration event later in the day, wreaths of flowers were being placed in front of them.
Our final sight was a striking edifice consisting of two vertical concrete walls supporting a belfry and an exterior staircase which led to a viewing platform over the entire site.
