Sveiki! That’s hello in Lithuanian. I’ve just arrived in Siauliai, and I’m very excited to explore. Just from walking around, I’ve noticed two theaters, fourteen museums, four cinemas, and five shopping centers. Wow! I also saw a really cool statue of an iron fox that I enjoyed observing. There was one very interesting thing I saw while strolling the area. There is a large park in the middle of the city. This seems normal enough, but you have to pay a fee to walk in the park! I thought that was kind of weird. Paying to visit a park? Hmm. After grabbing a bite to eat and visiting a small souvenir shop, I walked down to the Hill of Crosses. The Hill of Crosses is the Lithuanian national pilgrimage center. There are hundreds of thousands of crosses of various shape and size on this hill.
The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 by the Teutonic Knights. The tradition of placing crosses goes back to this time and was probably started as a symbol of defiance against invaders. By 1895, there were about 150 large crosses, in 1945 there were 200, and by 1940 there were as many as 400, not to mention the thousands of smaller ones surrounding them.
After being captured by Germany in World War II, Siauliai was retaken by Soviet Russia. The Soviets repeatedly took down the Christian crosses on the hill. Three different times, the hill was leveled, the crosses were burned and turned into scrap metal, and the whole area was covered in sewage. Each time, faithful Lithuanians would replace the lost crosses. In 1985, the Hill of Crosses was finally left alone.
I’ve droned on about the Hill of Crosses for long enough. I hope I haven’t bored you with my high interest in the history of this fascinating place. Quite obviously, this was by far my favorite place to visit in Siauliai.
Well, it’s been a long day and I’m tired and ready for bed. I will probably stay in Siauliai for a little while longer, but then I’m off to Greece, the country I’ve looking forward to visiting the most. Adios!
-Keeanna <3
The Iron Fox
The Hill of Crosses
The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 by the Teutonic Knights. The tradition of placing crosses goes back to this time and was probably started as a symbol of defiance against invaders. By 1895, there were about 150 large crosses, in 1945 there were 200, and by 1940 there were as many as 400, not to mention the thousands of smaller ones surrounding them.
After being captured by Germany in World War II, Siauliai was retaken by Soviet Russia. The Soviets repeatedly took down the Christian crosses on the hill. Three different times, the hill was leveled, the crosses were burned and turned into scrap metal, and the whole area was covered in sewage. Each time, faithful Lithuanians would replace the lost crosses. In 1985, the Hill of Crosses was finally left alone.
I’ve droned on about the Hill of Crosses for long enough. I hope I haven’t bored you with my high interest in the history of this fascinating place. Quite obviously, this was by far my favorite place to visit in Siauliai.
Well, it’s been a long day and I’m tired and ready for bed. I will probably stay in Siauliai for a little while longer, but then I’m off to Greece, the country I’ve looking forward to visiting the most. Adios!
-Keeanna <3
The Hill of Crosses
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