Samogitian Partisan District
III National Partizans, IV Soviet Occupation

The monument in the Alsėdžiai area is dedicated to honoring the fallen partisans of the Alka and Šatrija detachments of the Samogitian region, who actively fought against the Soviet occupation in the post-war years. The monument commemorates all those who defended Lithuania's freedom and independence in these areas, fighting against much stronger and better armed Soviet forces.

The monument was built to commemorate the fighters of the Alka and Šatrija divisions, who were buried in the trenches at this location between 1944 and 1953.

The monument consists of a composition of typical partisan memorial signs. The authors are designer Romas Navickas and architect Viktorija Molienė. The monument was unveiled on August 29, 2004, thanks to the efforts of Alfons Norkaus-Žilvičis, a former partisan of the Alka detachment of the Samogitian region, and a political prisoner.

Today, this monument is one of many that commemorate the partisan resistance in Samogitia and throughout Lithuania.

in 1949 Partisans of the Žarėnai company of the Šatria national team, led by Edmundos Rekašiaus-Lakūnas, settled in the depths of the forest of God's seat (Telšiai district). in 1949 May 21 During the operation carried out by the MGB, a partisan camp was found, in which 11 partisans were at that time.
When the fighting started, 7 partisans were killed in the shooting, including the commander of the Šatria national team - Aloyzas Mažutis-Šarūnas. During the operation, 4 partisans were arrested, 3 of them were seriously injured. Company commanders Edmund Rekašius-Lakūnas and Steponas Rekašius-Daris managed to escape from the encirclement. The burial places of the partisans who died during the battle were determined by the brothers Alfredas and Romualdas Jonuš, based on eyewitness accounts and KGB documents.
Today, there is an educational trail (about 5 km long) in the forest of the Seat of God, where you can see a cross marking the place of battles and partisans' deaths, a reconstructed bunker where in 1947-1948 Zigmas Tomkus, the head of the operative department of the Shatrija national team of Žemaičiai County, lived and worked there, and in 1949 in May, the partisans of the Shatrija national team of Žemaičiai district also stayed in the bunker. Also on the trail is the reconstructed land of the partisans of the Žarėnai company, the chapel marking the place of death of the partisan Irena Belazaritė-Žibuoklė, a cross with the names of the fallen partisans, a monument to the partisans of Žemaitija and other memorials.

About 1.5 km east of the Krakiai settlement, in the Jonuškis forest, on the right bank of the Kutuvys River, a former hiding place for participants in the post-war freedom struggle has been restored.

On January 3, 1948, betrayed by an MGB agent, two partisans died here after a heroic fight: 29-year-old member of the "Alka" squad, group leader Albertas Švažas-Vanagas, and 25-year-old Pranas Šiuipys.

In 1999, a small oak cross was erected at this location, and in 2005, a pillar in the shape of a Vytis cross was erected in the forest near the Kuršėnai–Mažeikiai road to commemorate those who died. In the same year, the remains of the partisans were reburied in the Viekšniai cemetery.

"When we started work, there was a heavily overgrown area with grass and birch trees. We started digging slowly, hoping to find the remains of the bunker's logs, but we didn't find them; all we found was a rusty grenade. We dug up two large stones and then it became clear that we were in the right place - according to witnesses, the bunker was between those stones, and partisans would jump through them to get inside to mislead uninvited guests," said P. Trakinis about the bunker's installation.

A drawing of the partisan bunker was found in archival documents, and the current bunker was reconstructed based on it in 2010. Its construction corresponds to the original drawing, but, according to contemporaries, it was "shallow", smaller in size, and built of logs.

There is a memorial in the Rietavas cemetery dedicated to the memory of the partisans of the Šatrija, Kardas, and Darius teams of the Samogitian and Kęstutis counties who fought and died in the Rietavas area in 1944-1953, as well as their supporters.

In the Rietavas region, brutal repressions were carried out against partisans and their supporters during the Soviet era, and some of the fighters were arrested, tortured and finally killed. The bodies of many partisans, including those who fought in the Rietavas area, were secretly buried in forests or on the territory of the Rietavas manor. Soviet security structures hid their bodies in order to sever any ties with their struggle and to intimidate the population. The remains of five partisans were accidentally found on September 23, 2010. on the territory of the Rietavas manor, during the restoration work of the Rietavas manor.

This memorial, consisting of a cross and monuments with the names of those who died, symbolizes the sacrifices made for freedom, and provides an opportunity to remember those whose sacrifices have long been forgotten or suppressed.

The monument standing in Telšiai Independence Square is dedicated to the partisans of the Samogitian region and the Freedom Struggles. Interestingly, impressive monuments have been erected in various Lithuanian cities to commemorate the activities of the partisan districts that operated in that region.

Samogitian Region – a partisan region established in 1945 that united the participants of the Lithuanian resistance in Telšiai, Kretinga, Mažeikiai counties and part of Tauragė county. People of the Lithuanian Freedom Army had been very active in North-Western Lithuania since mid-1944, and the military tradition was very strong here. Fighters who did not belong to the LLA were accepted into the active and organizational sectors.

The district published the newspapers "Voice of Freedom", "Fighting Lithuanian", "Prayer in the Forest". It had three detachments - Karda, Alka and Šatrija. The district headquarters was destroyed on August 29, 1953. The last partisan of the district, Pranas Končius-Adomas, died on July 6, 1965.

The monument consists of a column on a pedestal with a relief composition of crosses in the lower part and inscriptions dedicated to the memory of the partisans. The author is the famous sculptor Regimantas Midvikis, who created many famous sculptures in various Lithuanian cities, including the monument to King Mindaugas in Vilnius.

A monument to one of the partisan leaders, Vladas Montvydas-Žemaitis, has been erected in the town of Varniai, Telšiai district.

The monument was erected to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death of the partisan commander of the Samogitian region, Vladas Montvydas-Žemaitis. On August 24, 2013, at the initiative of the Lithuanian Freedom Army (LLA) and its chairwoman Irena Montvydaitė-Giedraitienė, a granite monument was erected in memory of the last commander of the Samogitian region, Vladas Montvydas-Žemaitis, with the inscription "Give to the Homeland what you must!"

Vladas Montvydas-Žemaitis belonged to the Riflemen's Union, in 1944. together with others he founded the Telšiai County Hawks Group of the Lithuanian Freedom Army (LLA), which he led, and also established the first 3 partisan hideouts. Under the care of V. Montvydas, the newspapers Kovojantis lietuvis, Malda girije, Laisvės balsas were published in the Samogitian County, and in 1952 the collection of poems Laisvės kovų addai was published.

Vladas Montvydas-Žemaitis was the last and longest-serving partisan commander of the Samogitian region, who died in an ambush in 1953 in the bunker of the Samogitian region headquarters, after about 2 hours of gunfire with soldiers of the internal army and the stribes. His body was desecrated in Varniai near the stribes headquarters, and his burial place is unknown.

In the Pamedžiai (Montvydinė) forest, in the Plungė district, you can find a cross commemorating partisan battles, testifying to the battles that took place on December 10, 1950. Then, three freedom fighters of the Plateliai Company of the Samogitian Region Sword Regiment Auklėtinis platoon were killed: Vincas Platauna-Audra (born 1929), Juozapas Sakalauskas-Pelėda (born 1928), Pranas Sereckis-Ąžuolas (born 1931), and the platoon commander Ignacas Žabinskis-Auklėtinis (born 1931) was seriously wounded, captured alive and shot in Vilnius on October 11, 1951.

MGB soldiers, together with Salantai militiamen, surrounded a partisan bunker in the Pamedžiai (Montvidinė) forest. When the partisans failed to surrender, a battle broke out near the bunker, which lasted about two hours. Several hand grenades were thrown into the two-part bunker, and automatic rifles were found during a search of the bunker.

In 2019, the partisan bunker was explored by archaeologist Dr. Gediminas Petrauskas. 159 various finds were found (cartridge cases, bullets, hand grenade parts, clothing and equipment items, etc.).

Now, in the place of the bunker, a quadrangular (3x2.6 m in size), up to 1 m deep pit with sloping slopes remains. It is said that the bunker was dug by the Stribs.

A Lithuanian Freedom Army (LLA) partisan training and shooting camp, known as the "Vanagai" camp, was established in Samogitia, in the Plokštinė forests, near Plateliai. This camp was an important part of the LLA structure, where partisans prepared for the fight against the Soviet occupation authorities.

The camp was established in August 1944, when the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania for the second time. The members of the "Hawks" group studied here not only shooting and guerrilla warfare tactics, but also survival skills in nature. They were preparing for long-term resistance in the forests in order to be able to operate covertly and organize attacks on Soviet structures as effectively as possible. The camp taught not only armed resistance, but also reconnaissance, communication, camouflage and other skills necessary for partisans.

The forests of Plokštīne were chosen for their density and remoteness – this area allowed the partisans to hide from the occupiers. The camp’s activities eventually covered the surrounding forests with complex partisan trails that were difficult for the Soviets to understand for a long time. Men and women of all ages trained here, including former riflemen, soldiers and ordinary Lithuanian residents, ready to fight for Lithuania’s freedom.

In 2019, the exact location of the "Hawks" military training on August 15–25, 1944, was determined in the Plokštinė forest, which was confirmed by the details of the stories of many presenters - participants of the military training camp, and new, previously unknown data was accumulated about the camp's equipment and the daily life of the "Hawks" who served there. The location was investigated by Gediminas Petrauskas.

Although there are no special signs dedicated to this camp when visiting the site, the past historical events are reflected in the still-found shells and bullets and their marks in the pine trees.

Memorialas įkurtas Kryžkalnyje, šalia svarbių kelių susikirtimo.  Didžiulis, memorialą žymintis kalavijo formos obeliskas, yra gerai matomas važiuojant autostrada Klaipėda-Vilnius ties Kryžkalniu.

Partizanų memorialas yra skirtas pagerbti Lietuvos partizanams, kurie pokario laikotarpiu kovojo prieš sovietinę okupaciją siekdami nepriklausomos Lietuvos. Tai viena didžiausių Lietuvoje vietų, įprasminančių partizanų pasiaukojimą ir atminimą.

Memorialas, sukurtas skulptoriaus Tado Gutausko ir architekto Sauliaus Pamerneckio, buvo atidarytas 2020 m. rugsėjo 20 d. Jis primena ne tik praeities aukas, bet ir kviečia lankytojus prisiminti laisvės kainą bei didžiuotis savo šalies istorija.

Memorialą sudaro trys dalys: 25 metrų aukščio kalavijo formos obeliskas, kuris simbolizuoja partizanų stiprybę ir kovos dvasią, taip pat atminimo siena, kurioje iškalti apie 20000 žuvusių partizanų vardai, išdėstyti Vyties kryžiaus formos stelose bei Pagerbimo aikštė su nežinomo partizano kapu, kuris simbolizuoja visus nežinomus ir neužrašytus, tačiau už Lietuvą paaukojusius savo gyvybes.