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  E X C I T I N G Hill of Three CrossesSt.Peter&Paul ChurchPark of EuropeGrutas ParkHill of CrossesBack to the previousBack to introductionBack to the first | Hill of Crosses
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| E X C I T I N GHill of Three CrossesSt.Peter&Paul ChurchPark of EuropeGrutas ParkHill of CrossesBack to the previousBack to introductionBack to the first | Hill of Crosses
Related Links | ||
Near Siauliai, on the left bank of the Kulpe River sits the famous Hill of Crosses. After the rebellions during the 1800s, people from near and far began to put crosses on the hill in memory of relatives who had been killed. Normally, crosses are put on graves but since many of the rebel’s graves were unknown, the Hill of Crosses became a symbolic grave for all those who had been killed. In 1963 a memorial rock was placed on the Hill of Crosses to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1863 Rebellion. Though Soviet soldiers razed the crosses to the ground in 1961 and in 1975, the memorials were replaced at night by the Lithuanian people and now stand as a monument to their spirit. In 1993 the Hill of Crosses was visited by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Lithuania and Estonia. The number of Crosses on the hill continues to increase to this day.