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| Three Crosses Monument, or Triju Kryziu Kalnas in Vilnius |
This tall white structure towers over Vilnius, Lithuania's capital city, from a prominent hilltop. The monument dates back to 1613, when it was first made of wood and erected on the same spot. Over the intervening four hundred years since it was erected, it has been taken down twice and put up two more times. What staying power. Here's the travel of the poor thing.
1. UP in 1613, made of wood to commemorate 14 Franciscans. Legend has it that they came as missionaries and were martyred on this site.
2. DOWN in 1864 when Lithuania was under control of the Russian empire, the Russian administrator removed it after a revolt.
3. UP in 1916, this time made of concrete, funded by donations from the city's residents.
4. DOWN during the Soviet era, when religious icons were destroyed.
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| Soviets destroyed the concrete monument and left it on the ground |
5. UP in 1989 when Lithuania became liberated from the Soviet Union, as the monument stands today.
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| View over Vilnius from Three Crosses Monument |