Papartynė (Rudikiai) water mill Memorial site

An old wooden water mill stands next to a powerful concrete dam built on the Venta River.

The Papartyne mill was built in the 19th century in the village of Rudikiai, in a place densely covered with ferns, nicknamed Papartyne. Until 1934, the building belonged to the Joniškių family, later it was bought by the Jew Isaakas Vilkas and he renovated the mill until 1940.

Although the mill is not directly related to military operations, its further history was determined precisely by the events of World War II. In 1941, Isaakas Vilkas was shot by the Nazis in the Šiaudinė forest, and the mill was left without an owner. A little later, a German settled in the mill, and Kazimieras Batavičius worked as a miller.

During the Soviet occupation, the fate of the owners continued to be tragic: two families of millers were murdered at the mill for collaborating with Soviet structures. In 1953, the mill finally stopped milling. Eventually, the residential part of the mill fell into disrepair, leaving only the production part, the windows of which were boarded up and wooden crosses carved on them.

After the restoration of independence, the mill was restored and adapted for hydroelectric power in 2002. Now it is a beautiful place for walks and relaxation by the Venta River.