Vytautas the Great Monument has been standing near the current municipality of Kaunas city for almost three decades. These days, few people seem to notice and stop to examine it more carefully – the sculpture has been an integral part of the Laisvės avenue (Avenue of Freedom) for a long time now.

The first version of the monument was built for the people of Kaunas in 1932, within the territory of the Lithuanian Military Academy. It is said that the monument had to “prepare and harden Lithuanians for an important march – the liberation of Vilnius”, since at the time the capital belonged to Poland. The sculpture was destroyed during World War II, however its exact copy was made and erected in Laisvės avenue in 1990 under the initiative of the then civil movement “Aukuras”, since it was not possible to restore the monument in its original place due to the construction of new buildings in that area.

The history of its erection in this place is also interesting. A wooden model of the monument was placed in various parts of the city, and the suitability of a location was evaluated by both specialists and local residents. It was decided that the sculpture looks best next to the current municipality building, in a square at the junction of Laisvės alėjos and Sapiegos streets. Vytautas the Great Monument was built here, even though there were protesters.

Vytautas the Great Monument is comprised of a bronze figure of Vytautas standing on a granite pedestal with carved figures of Russian, Tartar, German, and Polish soldiers. Even though recognizing the fact that victories of Vytautas the Great against the Russians, the German Order and the Tartars are confirmed by written historical sources, V. Jakas stated in his press release that the figure of a Polish warrior in this composition is a historical misunderstanding – Vytautas the Great has not been at war with Poland. According to the artist, this figure is interpreted as the fulfilment of inter-war political desires in an image, by turning the wish to reclaim Vilnius region into a visual object.

Sources:

1. https://kaunozinios.lt