The Scandalous Freedom Monument
The Freedom Monument, built in Plungė in the late 1920s, caused a scandal in the religious community due to the figure of a naked woman, which was supposed to symbolize Freedom, but became the subject of endless controversy - both on ethical and quality issues.
A white, plaster, 3-meter-tall sculpture of a winged woman with a sword and a crown in her hands stood on an 18-meter-tall pedestal, and in 1932, Dienos Naujienes wrote: "Last autumn, the construction of an 18-meter-tall independence monument was partially completed: (perhaps due to its excessive height, it tilted to one side). [...] At one time, this monument caused a lot of controversy, because the statue depicted a naked woman. Due to opposition from right-wing organizations, the statue was covered with clothes."
The newspaper “Žemaičių prietelius” reported in 1932 that the monument cost about 8,000 litas, but this did not protect it from construction defects. “When the autumn weather set in, the arm of Freedom with the sword fell. After a while, all the coats of arms fell off,” wrote “Dienos Naujienos”.
As it turned out from the 1931 report of the "Žemaitis" newspaper, the monument was created by the self-taught master Kleinauskis, whom the people of Rietavas, and later the people of Plungė, chose because of its low price. "The Rietavas monument suffered the same fate, because the same self-taught artist worked on the artwork," wrote the press of the time.
The coats of arms of Vytautas the Great, Samogitia and Plungė were placed on the sides of the monument. "Friends of Samogitia" (1932) mentions that there was also a sign of Vytautas the Great, looking at the monument from the Babrungas Valley side.
It is said that President Antanas Smetona, while visiting Plungė, quickly turned around and walked to the statue of St. Florian. In 1936, the controversial Statue of Liberty was removed, and during the Soviet era, the monument was completely demolished. In 1992, the monument was restored.
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Freedom Monument in Plungė
The Freedom Monument on Laisvės Alley in the city of Plungė began to be built around 1928 by the artist Kleinauskis to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Lithuania. The project was completed in 1931 and recognized as the tallest (18 m) Freedom Monument in Samogitia.
The idea of the monument did not satisfy the Catholic community of the city, as the main figure of the monument – a plaster sculpture of a winged angel with a sword and a crown in his hands – seemed too vulgar and naked. For this reason, the initial idea of building the Freedom Monument in front of the church was resisted, and the latter was eventually built on Laisvės alėja. It is said that the citizens would throw stones at the sculpture. The monument did not please the city authorities either – Independence Day celebrations were held near the St. Florian statue, ignoring the Freedom Monument.
Finally, the ruined sculpture was dismantled around 1936, and around 1950-1953. The Soviet occupation authorities, fighting against the manifestations of the ideas of freedom, blew up the remains of the monument. In 1992, the monument was restored and consecrated, with the new sculpture and coat of arms cast from brass. The author of the restored monument is sculptor Vilimas Ketvirtis. The sculpture of the angel was cast in St. Petersburg, and the coats of arms of Plungė were cast in Kaunas.
