Babi Yar Memorial Park

I love this place — It’s beautiful and serene. The only problem is lately in the parking lot there seems to be a lot of ‘in and out’ traffic. These are not people visiting the memorial… if you get what I mean. I’ve noticed it twice when I was there in the past 6 months when I was sitting in my car before and after.

My dog and I walk the perimeter of the park a couple times and then take a break in a hilly central area that has trees and great views of the mountains. This is a memorial park for Jews and Ukrainians murdered at Babi Yar ravine in Kiev, Ukraine in the early 40s. It’s peaceful and relaxing with an air of sadness and darkness. There are no benches or picnic tables as this is not that type of park. Walk, sit, read the engraved stones, meditate, stare into the distance and pay your respects. The narrow, paved pathways form a Jewish star which can only be seen from above.

My grandfather (Satoru Nishita) was the landscape architect for this project, so I’m totally biased. I had a work trip to Denver that involved access to a car and some free time, so I came by the park. My brother had visited the park earlier in the year, and made me aware of it. (My grandfather had so many projects, it’s hard to keep track of them.) I came when the walks were pretty icy, so I had to hold on to the hand rails, which I’m wondering might be a later addition after my grandfather designed it. He didn’t usually like all that safety stuff because it disrupted the lines of the design.
The park is incredibly calm, and peaceful. It is beautiful, bleak, and heartbreakingly sad. The cluster of trees, symbolizing those killed at Babi Yar, were all wintry brown, and sit alone in the field. The native vegetation is beautiful.
Here’s some more background on the park and photos:

i often drove around here and finally decided to stroll throuh it recenlty. I knew it was some type of park or memorial but didnt know what it was about till recently.
here are some exerpts from the PR Web
Babi Yar Park is a project of the Mizel Museum and Denver Parks & Recreation. The park is a 27-​acre memorial landscape where survivors of crimes against humanity and genocide can reflect. Native vegetation and trees encourage solace; a small grassy amphitheater is available for gatherings and dialogue.“
Its nice place to walk around and find some peace.