During the German occupation of Vilnius during the First World War, this cemetery was used for soldiers from the German, Turkish, Polish and Russian armies. In 1948 the Soviet authorities ripped up the gravestones and the site lay abandoned until 1980 when it was turned into a children’s playground and public toilet. Thanks to the efforts of the Germans, the 6.5 hectare site was renovated in 2001, with various markers and a large monument placed where specific burial sites were known to exist.