This solemn site marks the place where, during the Nazi occupation in World War II, local residents of the village of Pirčiupis were brutally executed.

In 1944, Pirčiupis witnessed one of the most horrific massacres in Lithuania, with more than 100 innocent people killed — the majority of them women and children. Today, the graves and massacre site serve as an important place of remembrance, inviting visitors to honor the victims and reflect on the horrors of war and the value of peace.

On the morning of June 3, 1944, Soviet partisans laid mines and ambushed a German convoy near Pirčiupis, killing several soldiers. In retaliation, units from the 16th SS Regiment (9th and 10th companies of the 3rd Battalion, equipped with tanks and trucks) surrounded the village. They forced the residents into barns and houses and set them on fire, burning them alive. A total of 119 people perished — 58 men and 61 women, including around 49 children. The youngest victim was just six weeks old.

The burial of the remains was initially delayed, and only on June 11, with the intervention of the Valkininkai parish priest, was permission granted to carry out the burials.

In 1960, a granite memorial ensemble was erected, featuring the sculpture “The Mother of Pirčiupis” (by sculptor Gediminas Jokūbonis) and a memorial wall engraved with the names of the 119 victims.