The Tricolor over Rebel Hill
In 1956, inspired by the Hungarian uprising, Lithuanians raised the tricolor on the Rebels' Hill - a brief but significant sign of freedom during the Soviet era.
In the autumn of 1956, when an uprising against Soviet rule took place in Hungary, the hope of freedom was also ignited in Lithuania. Algimantas Mišeikis remembers a special moment from that era - the Lithuanian tricolor raised on the Rebels' Hill monument: "I saw the Lithuanian tricolor raised on the Rebels' Hill monument, although it didn't fly there for long."
Although the flag flew briefly, its raising was an important symbol of resistance, showing that the spirit of freedom was still alive in Lithuania. At the same time, demonstrations were taking place in Kaunas, with the Lithuanian anthem being sung and chants of "freedom for Hungary".
Related objects
The Hill of Rebels
The Hill of Rebels is a sandy hill in western Šiauliai, where both World Wars left their marks.
The site became notorious in the second half of the 19th century when the members of the 1863–1864 uprising were buried on the hill and sentenced to death for fighting against the oppression by the Tsarist Russian Empire. The site gave rise to terrifying legends and was abandoned and rarely visited; finally, it became known as the Hill of Rebels. During the First World War, soldiers of the German Empire were buried here.
In 1926, work on landscaping the hill started. Karolis Reisonas, a city engineer, offered to design an obelisk for the monument dedicated to the rebels. In 1928, the 10th anniversary of the independence of Lithuania was celebrated and Rebel Garden was opened on the Hill of Rebels, however, the construction of the monument was not completed until 1935. The monument, a 14-metre-high pink granite obelisk, was unveiled and consecrated, and the remains of the rebels were reburied. During the Second World War, the soldiers of the Third Reich, who died in 1941–1944, were buried on the hill.
During the Soviet occupation, the gravestones were dismantled, but in 1955–1957, the obelisk of the Hill of Rebels was reconstructed – all national and religious symbols were removed from it. In 1988, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the uprising, the authentic appearance of the monument was restored.