During World War II, the largest of the city's nine concentration camps was located on the site of the memorial.
On September 28, 1973, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the city, the "Forever Alive" memorial was inaugurated near the KrAZ Palace of Culture.
The basis of the memorial is a sculptural group, tinted with silver metal, mounted on a stepped pedestal of red granite (16.5 × 6.0 × 1.5 m). Eternal fire burns near the pedestal. Behind the sculptural composition is a concrete stele with the inscription "Forever Alive", lined with red granite tiles (40.0 × 10.5 × 11 m).
The sculptural group consists of seven figures (height 6.5 m) — five men, one woman and one child. Central is the figure of a prisoner of war doctor with his head proudly raised. He supports his exhausted comrade and seems to say: "I'm dying, but I don't give up!".
