The Dag Hammarskjoeld Memorial (Crash site) marks the site of the plane crash that killed the second and then current Secretary General of the United Nations in 1961. The site outside Ndola, Zambia, contains a memorial, a memorial garden, and a museum detailing the life of Hammerskjoeld, a Swedish economist turned diplomat who died en route to cease-fire negotiations during the Congo Crisis. Dag Hammerskjoeld was called “the greatest statesman of our century” by US President John F. Kennedy, and is the only person in history to have been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize posthumously.
Full screen map of Dag Hammarskjoeld Memorial (On tentative list - Zambia)
Visiting the memorial in October this year (2008) was an emotional experience for me having last been at the site the day after the crash, as a serving officer in the (then) Northern Rhodesia Police. I donated some colour photos that I took at the crash scene of the wreckage of Hammarskjoeld's plane, The Albertina. Perhaps the most poignant experience was climbing steps (rather like aircraft steps) up the side of the anthill where Dag Hammarksjoeld's body was found. A small rest area at the top that overlooks the memorial is a remarkably calm and peaceful place to remember the tragedy and the turbulent times in which it occurred- so very different from when I was last there!
