Independence Square in Rokiškis Memorial site

In the center of Rokiškis city.

The highlight of Independence Square is the monument erected in 1929–1931 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Independence. The monument depicts a Lithuanian soldier and a Lithuanian woman holding a sun with a swastika depicted on a shield in her raised hands. This is one of those rare cases when a monument erected in Independent Lithuania during the Soviet era was not destroyed. Only in 1979 was the inscription “1918–1928” and the swastika plastered over. In 1989, the monument was restored.

Since the monument was erected in 1931, the square has been known as Independence Square.

A memorial plaque with the inscription “In this square, in the post-war years (1944–1953), the bodies of the fighters killed for the freedom of Lithuania were desecrated” commemorates one of the most painful stages in the history of this square. At least three buildings surrounding the square housed Soviet repressive structures that imprisoned, interrogated and tortured Lithuanian people in 1944–1953 (Nepriklausimobės a. 5, 10, 15). These buildings are marked with commemorative plaques.