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Grave block 15 - background

During the late spring and summer of 1945, severely injured survivors of Nazi concentration camps arrived in Sweden – victims of the Holocaust – through, among other things, the Red Cross's white buses and UNRRA transports, all organized through the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Many of these concentration camp prisoners had endured

unbearable hardships, and some were so weakened that they died shortly after arrival. Sixty-nine (69) of the deceased were buried in 1945 in grave block 15 at Pålsjö cemetery in Helsingborg – in unmarked graves. They represented 14 different nations, belonged to different faiths and came from widely different origins, but were united in the fact that

Nazi Germany decided that they would be exterminated. All 69 of these individuals rested in unmarked graves, forgotten and lost to history. Graveyard 15 contains the entire complexity of World War II. Right next to the victims of the Holocaust rest 47 Allied and 93 German soldiers – all in personal graves, cared for and revered by both Sweden and their respective homelands since their burial in 1943 – 1945.

Memorial service for Holocaust victims in Graveyard 15 on September 4, 2025

In 2021, historian Johan Andrée, museum director of the Swedish National Emergency Preparedness Museum, began an extensive documentation project called Grave Quarter 15. The aim was to identify and restore the name, life story and identity of each of those who rested in an unmarked grave. Four years later, in the summer of 2025, all 69 individuals have had their identities restored through newly made, personalized gravestones placed at each grave.

A memorial service was held on 4 September 2025, with most of the nations involved present. After the memorial service, the City of Helsingborg, through the Chairman of the City Council, Mats Sander, invited people to a gathering at Helsingborg City Hall.

On January 27, 2026, a memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust was held for the first time in Grave Quarter 15, Pålsjö Cemetery. The 69 buried concentration camp prisoners – victims of the Holocaust – have now regained their names and their place in our common history. If you want to know more, there is a short film about Grave Quarter 15 to watch here.

Book about Grave Quarter 15 in production

The work continues. A book about Grave Quarter 15 is under production. The museum director has reported on his work via the museum's website since 2021. The work has required thorough research in Swedish and foreign archives, visits to the concentration camps involved, searching for relatives, etc. The book can hopefully be completed in manuscript form in the spring of 2028. If you would like to support the work, you are most welcome to make a financial contribution to the Emergency Preparedness Museum Foundation, which will pay for all work on the book. Contributions can be deposited to bank account 5265 - 9638 or via Swish to 123 283 10 55. Mark your contribution with the text Grave Quarter 15.