Field of Sacrifice

1-3. Field of sacrifice is a garden by the Liberty Avenue in Kaunas. It was established in 2002 as a tribute to Romas Kalanta, a 19-year-old student who burned himself at the same spot thirty years earlier. At the time, Lithuania was a part of the soviet socialist republics, and Kalanta wanted to protest against the occupation. His last words were "Freedom for Lithuania".

4-5. The edge of the garden is decorated with iron sheets that symbolizes the burnt pages of history. Nowadays, poets and street-musicians often gather around the park to remember the hero of Kaunas, especially on May 14th, the National Day of Civil Resistance and the day Kalanta sacrificed himself.

6-7. I found this place very impressive, even if I had not time to  explore it very long. The park is popular among families, and the atmosphere there is more happy and hopeful than melancholic. I think these kind of places are always unique and worth visiting, at least when you know their history.

Photo: Romualdas Butkevičiu, http://www.panoramio.com/photo/71500709

// Jenni Panula-Ontto