We didn't really know what to expect coming here as so often trips are "bigged up" and actually quite rubbish, but this was the absolute opposite.
A bit of history paraphrased from Wikipedia (and yes, I do pay them when they beg!)
The precise origin of the practice of
leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the first
crosses were placed on the former hill fort after
the 1831 Uprising as families couldn’t locate
bodies of perished rebels so they started putting up symbolic crosses. Over the generations, not only crosses and crucifixes,
but statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian
patriots and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have
been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. And when the
old political structure of Eastern
Europe fell apart in 1918 and Lithuania once again declared its independence, the
Hill of Crosses was used as a place to pray for peace, for their country, and
for the loved ones they had lost during the Wars of Independence.
Lithuanians were once again subject
to religious persecution during the
Soviet occupation (1944-1990). Many of these endeavours included the persecution
of clergy members,
anti-religious propaganda, and the prohibition of religious teachings. As
a continuation of their ancestors, Lithuanians continued to safeguard their
religious freedoms including on the Hill of Crosses. Visitors would carry
crosses with them, either to commemorate their loved ones, offer prayers for
better health or success or as a tribute to significant historical events. However, during this period, the Hill of
Crosses signified the public's opposition to Soviet suppression and this
contradicted with the prevailing Soviet ideology of the era. The members of the
Soviet KGB recognized
this, resulting in prolonged efforts to destroy the landmark and prevent new
emergences of crosses and so, despite the peaceful resistance, the Soviets
bulldozed the site three separate times and there were rumours that authorities
planned on flooding the area. The
Soviets used other numerous tactics to deter the public from visiting the hill,
such as deeming that the crosses had no artistic value, blocking roads from
visitors, and guarding of the hill by the KGB and Soviet army. The Soviets would apprehend anyone bringing
crosses to the hill usually resulting in penalties and incarceration but, despite
these efforts to destroy the landmark, the Lithuanian public continued to bring
crosses to the hill every night risking harsh punishment.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990, the practice of Lithuanian cross-crafting became very popular. Visitors were able to make crosses out of
small twigs and rocks and tie them together with grass, in order to
show their support. Due to the symbolism of cross-crafting during the Soviet
occupation, UNESCO named Lithuanian cross-crafting in the lists of good
safeguarding practices and intangible cultural heritage. The hill stood as a testament to the Lithuanian people's
determination to preserve their religious and national identity during these
times. As a result, in the post-Soviet
years, the number of crosses exploded as, free from religious oppression, the
Lithuanian public was able to practice their religious beliefs without fear of
persecution. Due to its religious
significance, the Hill of Crosses became a site of catholic pilgrimage and in 1993, Pope John Paul II visited declaring it a place for hope,
peace, love, and sacrifice. In 2000, a Franciscan hermitage was opened nearby, the interior decoration of which
draws links with La Verna, the mountain where St. Francis is said to have received his stigmata.
In 1900 there were thought to be 130
crosses but by 2006, despite the efforts of the Soviets, the estimate stood at
100,000. Since 2013 there has been a
height limitation of 3m for safety reasons, but even so the crosses etc just keep on coming and there
are so many it’s impossible to count – I reckon easily 1 million plus!
It's now a top tourist destination but despite that entrance is free and there is a new large car park which only charges €0.90 and a well constructed walkway the 400m or so to the start of the crosses.
In the car park is a little stall selling crosses should you want to place one yourself and that's really the only money making enterprise here.
Sadly we had heavy cloud and drizzle when we first arrived but we'd borrowed larger umbrellas from our hotel so could stay reasonably dry.
There's not much I can add to the photos, they speak for themselves really - crosses, crosses and yet more crosses.
The stork on top of this one is real; it promptly flew off just after I took this.
I took so many pictures and so have tried to combine some up so there is less to wade through.
Some faces really stand out.
The platform in the adjacent field was where Pope John Paul II gave his address from in 1993.
I tried very hard to photograph creatively but without being able to kneel on the ground (too wet) it was difficult.
These last few were taken on my phone hence the different sky.
I think Ian made the right call in us taking an organised trip as if we'd driven ourselves I'd have stayed there all day - I thought the place was fab-u-lous. If I was still interested in furthering my photographic qualifications I would have loved to do an 'A' panel on it.
