Dacha of the NKVD

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Dacha of the NKVD before 1941. From July 1941 the dacha was used as the headquarters building of a German communications regiment. The dacha was used as a holiday cottage on behalf of the Smolensk department of the NKVD. After the arrival of the German Army in this area, the building was used by the "Headquarters 537th Construction Battalion"as was published in "Pravda", January 26, 1944.

Before being executed, the Polish military officer prisoners were taken by covered busses from the Gniezdovo train station to this NKVD dacha for a last body search. The original building is replaced by a new one. Of the old building complex only a cooling cellar remains. The Polish officers were transported to this site from the Kozielsk prison camp in the period April 3 through 12 May 1940. The executions of the officers took place at a digged burial site 300m north. Of 21 transports, two were transported to another prison camp at Pavilishchev Bor; these 190 men survived. The others, with a total of 4,249 men, arrived at this spot.