Soviet-era soldier remains removed from Šiauliai centre to be reburied

Archaeological excavations to remove the remains of Soviet soldiers from a central site in Šiauliai have been completed, with plans to transform the area into a pedestrian pathway, the city municipality announced on Tuesday.

Excavations uncovered 49 sets of remains, which will be reburied in a designated Second World War Soviet military cemetery near Ginkūnai Cemetery, said Mantas Antanavičius, chief specialist of the municipality’s Urban Development and Heritage Protection Department. Anthropological analysis of the remains has already been conducted.

Design documentation for the site’s redevelopment has been finalised, and construction work will begin shortly. Architect Vytenis Rudokas, the project’s lead designer, described the location as a key transit zone for pedestrians, serving roughly 25 percent of Šiauliai’s urban area.

The former memorial was deemed “alien both morally and urbanistically,” Rudokas stated during a press conference. In its place, a pedestrian walkway will be installed, accompanied by seating areas offering views of the city’s cathedral. The redesign will feature low shrubs, flowering plants, and colourful Japanese spirea.

“This site offers an excellent opportunity to showcase the cathedral. The concept is to create a tranquil rest area with an attractive view of the cathedral,” the architect explained. The plan also reserves space for a future small-scale art installation.

The removal follows a 2024 ruling by Lithuania’s Desovietisation Commission, which determined that the burial site—located near the cathedral—violated national laws prohibiting the promotion of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes in public spaces. The commission concluded that the site reinforced the Soviet-narrated “Great Patriotic War” myth, as the remains had been relocated from original burial locations in the surrounding area.

Lithuania’s ban on symbols and memorials linked to totalitarian and authoritarian regimes took effect in May 2023, mandating the removal of such elements from public spaces.