Kyiv Crematorium

The incineration of bodies was a controversial topic in Ukraine in the 1960s, after the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II and particularly the Nazi massacre at Babi Yar. The topic had just started to be discussed publicly when this odd-shaped neomodernist concrete crematorium was built in Kyiv.

Taking into account the sensitivity of the subject, architects designed the new structure to avoid any association with the process of cremation. It is sculpted from white concrete with curving lines meant be calming and therapeutic to any funeral attendees and mourners that gathered at the site.

The uniquely shaped crematorium stands in Baikove Cemetery’s “Memory Park,” and a giant wall covered in reliefs was built right next to it. Called the Wall of Remembrance, it took 10 years to build, and then when it finally completed in 1982, authorities decided to cover up the reliefs. Today there are methods to remove the concrete that was added to mask the images, and now a small portion of the wall now reveals what lies hidden beneath.