Šilutė consecrates monument to deportees and regional history

A monument commemorating deportees, political prisoners and the region’s tragic history was consecrated in Šilutė as church bells rang across the town, LRT reported.

Built beside railway tracks and an old cemetery, the monument features 24 historical and spiritual symbols along its edges. They link the identity of Lithuania Minor with episodes in the nation’s history, including deportations, partisan resistance, the Holocaust and Sąjūdis.

The monument’s initiators say it will offer a new place of remembrance for people affected by deportations and repression, and those who fought for Lithuania’s freedom.

“This monument is dedicated to all political prisoners and deportees from Lithuania Minor, the Šilutė region and the entire municipality. Various painful chapters of history unfolded here from 1914 through to 1953,” Šilutė district Mayor Vytautas Laurinaitis said.

Regina Tamašauskienė, head of the Šilutė Association of Political Prisoners and Deportees, said the region had a diverse population and people of many denominations. She said Jewish people made up around 30 to 40 percent of the population in the Šilutė region and were killed during the Holocaust, while most residents were Evangelical Lutherans. The monument also includes symbols of deportees and partisans, she said, noting that the Kęstutis partisan district was active in the region.