A square named after Lithuania was officially opened in Paris on Tuesday.
President Gitanas Nausėda, who inaugurated Jardin de la Lituanie (The Garden of Lithuania), said that the square is located in a special place close to the historical building that housed the embassy of the independent state of Lithuania until 1940.
The Soviet Union took over the diplomatic mission after it occupied the country.
“It was here, in the national bank of France nearby, that Lithuania’s gold was safeguarded throughout the occupation, and eventually returned to our country when it regained independence,” Nausėda said at the inauguration event.
“Today, I am pleased to say that this place, now called the Garden of Lithuania, will speak to the citizens and visitors of Paris in the language of freedom,” he added.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said that Lithuania “has for centuries fought for freedom, against the growing appetite of Russia, in search of its own identity,” and in recent times has “partially opened the eyes” of the West regarding Russia.
“By opening Jardin de la Lituanie, we are sending a universal message of peace, tolerance, and solidarity with Lithuania,” she said.
Jardin de la Lituanie, located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, was inaugurated in the run-up to this fall’s Season of Lithuania in France, which will feature hundreds of events aimed at introducing Lithuanian culture and history to the French public.
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