II WW2, III National Partizans, IV Soviet Occupation, Restored Independence

Baltijos keliu nuo Vilniaus iki Rygos

Day 1.

180 km

Viļņa - Moletai - Paņevēža

Practical info

  • Maršruts ir domāts kā padomdevējs - kā optimālāk apceļot reģionu vai valsti, vai divas valstis ar mērķi iepazīt to militāro mantojumu;
  • Braucējam pašam ir jāizplāno – cik no ieteiktajiem objektiem un vietām viņš vienas dienas laikā var iepazīt;
  • Pirms ceļojuma ir jānoskaidro apskates vietu (muzeju, kolekciju, fortifikācijas u.c. objektu) darba laiks;
  • Vietās, kur ir iepriekšēja pieteikšanās (vietējie gidi, privātas kolekcijas, cits), ir jāpiesaka vizīte, norādot datumu un laiku. Ja ceļojums tiek atcelts, ir jāinformē pieteiktās vietas;
  • Naktsmītnes ir jārezervē laicīgi. Vasaras sezonā, īpaši jūras piekrastē naktsmītnes var būt nepieejamas. Daļa no ēdināšanas uzņēmumiem ziemas sezonā var nestrādāt;
  • Ceļojumam izvēlieties ne tikai vasaru, bet arī citus gadalaikus;
  • Latvijas – Lietuvas – Igaunijas robežas pa autoceļiem var šķērsot brīvi bez ierobežojumiem un jebkurā diennakts laikā. Iebraucot no vienas valsts otrā ir jābūt līdzi ID kartei vai pasei;
  • Apmeklējiet tūrisma informācijas centrus, kur var iegūt papildus informāciju, bukletus, kartes.

Sights

January 13th Memorial of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

The monument is located in Vilnius, in front of the Second Palace of the Parliament (Seimas) of the Republic of Lithuania.
In January 1991, the people of Lithuania surrounded the Parliament Palace with barricades, in a fight for and in defence of their freedom. It was an attempt to protect Lithuania from military aggression by the Soviet Union of the time – Soviet attempts to stage a coup d’état in Lithuania and restore Soviet rule. Barricades surrounded the Parliament building until the end of 1992. In 1993, in front of the Palace of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, a unique memorial was erected – made of parts of the barricades and other relics – it was dedicated to the Lithuanian people who sacrificed their lives for freedom. On 13 January 1991, tragic events unfolded, as the Soviet Army and special forces occupied the Lithuanian Radio and Television Centre building and the television tower, killing 14 freedom fighters and injuring around 600 people. As the tenth anniversary of the Defenders of Freedom Day was approaching, a decision was made to preserve the composition by creating a memorial to 13 January. The Memorial was inaugurated in 2008.
The memorial preserves an authentic fragment of the 1991 parliamentary barricades and has a chapel with an icon to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The memorial displays objects brought by people and provides an insight into the events that took place during the defence of the independence of Lithuania.

Monument to the Soldiers killed for Lithuania‘s Freedom in 1920

The monument is located in Giedraičiai.
On 19 June 1932, a monument dedicated to the fallen Lithuanian freedom fighters was unveiled in Giedraičiai. The construction of the monument was initiated by the inhabitants of Giedraičiai – the painter and author of the monument Antanas Jaroševičius, Pastor Meigis, Malvina Valeikienė and Matas Valeika, who supported the Lithuanian soldiers in battle, the community of Širvintos and the Lithuanian Army; the amount of 11,000 litas was raised for the construction of the monument. The appeal for donations for the monument states that it is being built “to honour victory and our eternal joy, which will remind us of the historical significance of the site and pay tribute to the soldiers buried in Giedraičiai”.
The opening ceremony was sumptuous. It was attended by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, A. Smetona – Commander- in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, representatives of the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Regiments and officers, who took part in the Battles of Giedraičiai. Flowers were dropped at the monument from military planes, and Malvina Valeikienė, a prominent Lithuanian personality and one of the organisers of the construction works of the monument, read out the names of the Lithuanian soldiers who died in Giedraičiai, and she was awarded the Order of the Cross of the Knight, 3rd Class. The flag of the local riflemen unit was consecrated at the monument. From 1962–1964, pursuant to the instructions of the Soviet administration, an unsuccessful attempt was made to demolish the monument, but it was later declared a historical monument.

A stylised cannon commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Giedraičiai

A stylised cannon commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Giedraičiai is located behind the town of Giedraičiai, 200 m after turning off on road No. 172. On 21 November 2020, a monument by sculptor Džiugas Jurkūnas was unveiled on a hill at the site of the Battle of Giedraičiai, commemorating the victory. The monument is a stylised interpretation of the battles of the Lithuanian Army against the Polish Army during the inter-war period. In an attempt to move away from the description of the conflict, the monument highlights the importance of the union of the two countries in the context of contemporary events. The rust-covered cannon symbolises the strong union of the republics
of Lithuania and Poland – two countries that fought each other a century before. The situation of the time is described on the sides of the monument; the Lithuanian and Polish Army units involved are mentioned and a brief description of the battle is provided. The Lithuanian Armed Forces are the initiator and the funder of the erection of the monument.

Eastern Lithuania (King Mindaugas) region Lithuanian partisan command post

After driving past Andrioniškis Cemetery (there is a signpost), there is a preserved hideout – a command post. From 1944– 1949, a command post of the Lithuanian partisans of the Eastern Lithuania (King Mindaugas) region operated in this hiding place. In the summer of 1944, Balys Žukauskas, with brothers Petras and Juozas Jovaišos, established the hiding place to evade the mobilisation announced by the Red Army in 1944. At the end of 1945, Antanas Slučka-Šarūnas started to use the hiding place. He was the first one to form a partisan unit in the Troškūnai area and later united the partisans of Rokiškis, Anykščiai, Kavarskas, Troškūnai, and Andrioniškis to form the Šarūnas Unit. In 1947, A. SlučkaŠarūnas became the commander of the Algimantas district, and in 1949 – the commander of the Eastern Lithuania partisan region. This means that from 1949, the hiding place became the command post of the Lithuanian partisans in the Eastern Lithuania region. The hiding place, which had successfully sheltered partisans for five years, was betrayed on 28 October 1949. The farm where the partisans were hiding was besieged by KGB troops; the partisans refused to surrender and blew themselves up.
The bunker has been preserved, and a cross and a monument to the fallen have been installed.

Monument dedicated to Algimantas Military District partisans

The monument is located in the centre of Troškūnai, Anykščiai district, near the Church of Holy Trinity. During the partisan war of 1944–1953, the territory of Lithuania was divided into nine partisan military regions. From 1947–1950, partisan units of the Algimantas region of Lithuania, the establishment of which is closely related to Troškūnai, were active in the Panevėžys and Anykščiai area. The inhabitants of this town organised partisan units in Aukštaitija. The first partisan commander of the Algimantas region, Antanas Slučka-Šarūnas, was born and lived in Troškūnai.
In 1996, pursuant to the initiative of the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, a monument dedicated to the partisans of the Algimantas Military District was erected in Troškūnai. The monument was created by sculptor Jonas Jagėla and architect Audronė Kiaušinienė. The main part of the monument is a black stone gate that symbolises the fallen defenders of the homeland. The bronze crosses on the sides of the gate symbolise the Christian faith, while the bronze sword, like the sword of St Michael the Archangel, symbolises the light of faith and hope. In the square in front of the monument, a black stone plaque commemorates the three units of the Algimantas region: Šarūnas, Žalioji and Kunigaikštis Márgiris. 

Places to eat

Places to stay