Day 56: Šiauliai

MAY 29 - Awaken to dark clouds and rain. Take the Baltic States equivalent of Uber, called Bolt, north out of town to the Hill of Crosses (Kryžių kalnas). It is a small site, less than a acre in size, with two small hills in the middle. The entire area is covered in crosses, crucifixes, images of the Virgin Mary, and other devotional items.

The site is surrounded by farmland. Today it was cold and windy, with periodic showers of rain. Pictures from a distance were difficult to take in this weather.

The crosses/crucifixes vary from elaborate ones in metal and stone, to simple crosses made from tree branches and bound together with duct tape.

It is uncertain when the Hill of Crosses began, but it is likely to have started during the uprisings of 1831 or 1863. These were rebellions against the Russian authorities, and were crushed. The location of the site may have been a rebel fort during the uprisings, and the random placement of crosses could have been an effort to honor the dead in cases where the location of a killed rebel was unknown.

It is thought that there are in excess of 100,000 items placed on the hill. We saw areas where piles of small crosses had been made to clear space for paths.

Carpets of spring flowers added something to the reverence of the hill.

This group of crosses are quasi-tombstones. Each one refers to a district of Lithuania that organized partisans to fight the Soviet occupation in the years 1944-1953. The total number of rebels killed in this prolonged fight is thought to be 20,000.

Since I am talking about the Soviets, throughout the occupation, which only ended in 1990, the Soviet authorities would come here and pull up the crosses they found. But this did nothing to quell the ‘passive resistance’, as new crosses would always appear in short order. Even completely bulldozing the hill several times did not stop the pilgrimages. All the crosses currently on the hill are those that have appeared since independence in 1990.

An elaborate memorial, in stone, placed by the Armenians living in the Baltic States. It commemorates the 1700th anniversary of Christianity as a state religion in Armenia (301-2001). Armenia was the first country to officially Christianize, even before Rome did under Constantine The Great (306-337 AD).

Back to town, where we stroll the pedestrian mall. I really does impress me how the streets have been utilized, with fountains and sculptures placed almost at random.

In the northwest of the town center is the Šiauliai History Museum. While heading there, we encounter an old man who had just fallen on the edge of the road. He hit his head on the curb and was beginning to bleed profusely, as is typical for a head wound. We are unable to communicate with him, but help him into a sitting position (he was trying to stand) and generally try to keep him from hurting himself more until someone shows up with a first aid kit from their car. After some bandaging is applied, and several people show up to help out. we decide to leave.

The history museum is quite brief, as they appear to be remodeling the entire second floor. There is a good display of distaffs, many of which are very ornate, along with a discussion about the meditative and relaxing art of spinning yarn. It was an activity for the autumn and winter months, when there wasn’t as much work to do outside. Also a room dedicated to the memory of A. J. Greimas, the best known Lithuanian who helped develop semiotics. Want a cartoon primer? See below:

Visit the Hill of Rebels, a park with a memorial for Lithuanian nationalists hanged here during the uprising of 1863. Later, a number of German soldiers were buried here during WWI, and also both German and Russian soldiers during WWII.

I haven’t mentioned this before, but starting in Riga I began to notice a great deal of graffiti in urban areas. And as much as I search, I find virtually nothing political in nature, just ‘tags’ like those shown above. It looks oddly appropriate on the sides of moldy, dilapidated Soviet-era buildings.

I saw a quote today that I felt gave color to the spirit of Lithuania. It is from a report by Nikolai Novikov, inspector for the Kaunas Governorate of Vilnius Educational District, to his superiors, in 1894:

‘The most vivid characteristic of this nation could be called determination, because from all the tribes known to history Lithuanians are probably the most determined. If it was not thrown in by history amongst three tribes much stronger than it - Russians, Poles, and Germans, until now, it would still live differently despite the sea being near. However, this tribe gave in to the stronger pressure of the higher civilization, it will give in to us too. Thought, a lot of attention, care, effort, love and friendly support is required to conquer the Catholic determination.’

Lithuania