Cross Valley to Commemorate the Baltic Way
Memorial site

There are road signs on the eastern edge of the city of Pasvali, near the Via Baltica highway (E67, A10).

in 1989 on August 23, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the criminal Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols, the capitals of the three Baltic states - Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn - were connected by a live chain at the initiative of the Lithuanian Movement for Reorganization, the Latvian People's Front and the Estonian People's Front. 2 million people joined hands in a chain about 650 km long. This circuit, known as the Baltic Road, is one of the most prominent and memorable events for Soviet-occupied countries in their pursuit of Independence.

Commemorative signs have been erected along the route of the Baltic Road (Vilnius–Ukmergė–Panevėžys–Pasvalys–Saločiai) to commemorate the event. "For this day to be immortalized, everyone will bring something to the roadside memorials. We will pile one stone at a time, as our captivity, to build an altar... Maybe a bag of earth - to fill the mound according to the ancient custom... Maybe a cross..." (writer Kazys Saja, August 17, 1989). The Valley of Crosses on the Baltic Way near Pasvaly is one of the monuments of this memory path.

The history of Kryžių valley began on the eve of the Baltic road, when the citizens of Pasvalya began to build the altar of Freedom here from the stones of the field. August 23 Crosses were placed in the valley by participants from Pasvalis, Akmenė, Joniškėlis, Kretinga, Mosėdis, Pakruoj. Later, crosses were built here to commemorate important events and prominent people, and crosses were erected for the friendly Norwegian and Swedish peoples. in 2024 14 crosses stood in the valley.