Monument of Vytautas the Great in Veliuona

A 3 m high figure standing on an almost 2 m high pedestal, leaning on a sword stabbed into the ground. There were plans to demolish the monument during the years of Soviet occupation, however the locals of Veliuona stood against this decision, and thus the monument was saved and remains to this day.

An opening ceremony of the monument created by sculptor A. Šimkūnas was organized on 29 June 1930 which was attended by so many people and guests of the town, that not everyone was able to access the town square: the event was attended by many priests, the army, shooters and other organizations. A fence was built around the monument standing in a trapezium-shaped square which was held by concrete support columns replicating the image of Gediminas Castle. The monument in Veliuona withstood the entire Soviet era.

Nevertheless, over the years, the structure of the monument of Vytautas was washed away from the inside by water causing frame reinforcement corrosion which ripped and fragmented the material of the monument itself and resulted in even larger cracks, as well as cavities in the internal structures affected by water. The condition of the fence surrounding the monument was also poor: its concrete pillars were fractured and cracked. Both the pillars and the metal chain of the fence were full of algae, and the chain was also damaged by corrosion. As the Centennial of the Restored State of Lithuania was approaching, a decision was made to restore the Monument of Vytautas the Great. Restoration works began in July, after all damages were evaluated by top-class restorer Kęstutis Norkūnas.

Sources:

1. http://pilotas.lt