Vilnius is planning to remove a Soviet-era pedestal and altar from Antakalnis Cemetery by mid-February.
Just over a year ago, six sculptures of Soviet soldiers were removed from the cemetery and the Vilnius City Council decided to hand them over to Grūtas Park of Soviet monuments in southern Lithuania for display for at least 20 years.
“Moreover, the council approved the proposal of the Historical Memory Commission to maintain the monument scheme and to dismantle the remaining pedestal and altar at Antakalnis Cemetery, which, according to the commission, are an integral part of the monument,” Gabrielius Grubinskas, spokesperson for the Vilnius Municipality, told BNS.
“Once the pedestal and the altar at Antakalnis Cemetery are dismantled, all the elements of the composition will be taken to Grūtas Park,” he added.
The works will be carried out by LB Construction, a company that won the tender called by Grinda, a municipal enterprise, for around 71,000 euros. The contract was signed in mid-January and the pedestal and the altar are to be removed within four weeks, Grinda told BNS.
The Vilnius authorities decided to dismantle the statues of Soviet soldiers in June 2022 after the Department of Cultural Heritage changed the criteria for the evaluation of immovable cultural properties. The move followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted Lithuanian municipalities to start removing symbols of occupation.
The statues are currently stored at a site operated by Grinda.
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