by Daiva Baronienė
daivabaro@lzinios.lt
www.lzinios.lt
A survey of people living in Kaišiadorys, Lithuania, or hailing from there found the majority don’t want an obelisk commemorating Nazi victims, a Soviet relic. Photo: www.kaisiarodys.lt
A public opinion survey in Kaišiadorys determined the majority of residents and people from the town who are currently abroad or living abroad no longer want the obelisk to victims of the Nazis to stand at the entrance to the town.
Kaišiadorys regional administration head Vytenis Tomkus’s wish to greet the 100th anniversary of Lithuanian independence next year after having removed from the region sites and constructions which don’t correspond to the ideological values of today is gaining momentum. A poll of residents over the period of one month asking whether they need to monument to victims of the Nazis to remain standing in Kaišiadorys or not found that the majority of informants in the rather active survey are convinced the town does not need this sort of monument.
The statue, which doesn’t have a name, was intended to portray a torch, but locals call it the plumber’s wrench. It was built on the banks of the Shchebnitz lake in 1960. Its function is to mark the spot where the Nazis [sic] shot and buried 18 Soviet activists [sic] during the war. After some years the mortal remains of the fighters for the Soviet cause [sic] were reburied in the Soviet cemetery, while the torch monument to their memory remained standing to mark the spot where they died. And so it stands today on the road into Kaišiadorys from the Vilnius-Kaunas highway, a monument which regional administrator Tomkus says is out of keeping with the ideals of the state today. He told Lietuvos žinios he was certain the monument of dubious value should be taken down, but at the same time said he didn’t want to force his opinions on the people, and so organized a public opinion poll on what to do with the statue.
The month-long survey had 3,440 respondents in total, of whom 1,316 said they did not approve of tearing the monument down, 2,065 said the obelisk must be taken down, and 59 offered alternative suggestions on how to use the monument. There was a suggestion the wrench-like monument be used to advertise an automobile repair garage. One person said the coat of arms of Kaišiadorys should be displayed on the monument with illumination and the monument should serve as a welcome sign to visitors to the town. There was a suggestion it be offered to the owners of Grūtas Park, and also to paint it and cover it with Lithuanian ethnic decorations. Those opposed to its removal claimed demolition work would be expensive and the money was needed for other things, that significant monies allocated for the razing of the statue would be freed up if the monument were left in place. One respondent said the destruction of statues is motivated by the need for revenge, and that revenge is not something one should feel or practice.
The Kaišiadorys regional administration said it would inform residents of what will be done and when with this obelisk out of tune with today’s values.
Full story in Lithuanian here.