Grutas Park, Grūtas, Lithuania - SpottingHistory.com

Grūtas Park (Grūto parkas) is a sculpture garden of Soviet-era statues and an exposition of other Soviet ideological relics from the times of the Lithuanian SSR. After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, various Soviet statues were taken down and dumped in different places. Viliumas Malinauskas requested the Lithuanian authorities to grant him the possession of the sculptures, so that he could build a privately financed museum. This Soviet-theme park was created in the wetlands of the Dzūkija National Park. Many of its features are re-creations of Soviet Gulag prison camps: wooden paths, guard towers, and barbed-wire fences.

The exposition, consisting of 86 statues by 46 different sculptors, is organized into spheres. Each of the statues features a Soviet or socialist activist, many of them ethnic Lithuanians. The Totalitarian Sphere features sculptures of the main Communist leaders and thinkers, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Karl Marx. The Terror Sphere is dedicated to sculptures of founders of the Communist Party of Lithuania (Zigmas Aleksa-Angarietis, Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas) and officers of the Red Army (Feliksas Baltušis-Žemaitis, Ieronim Uborevich). It also has a sculpture of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the organizer of the Red Terror.

The Soviet Sphere includes sculptures of the four leaders of Lithuanian Communists, executed in the aftermath of the 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état, and activists of the Lithuanian–Soviet War of 1918–1919. The Red Sphere is dedicated to Soviet partisans, including Marytė Melnikaitė. The Occupation and Death Spheres showcase the brutal side the Soviet regime: mass deportations, suppression of the Lithuanian partisans, etc.w

References:

Wikipedia

Soviet occupation memorials in Lithuania

User Reviews

E K (2 months ago)
Very interesting and informative museum of Soviet Union regime. Very funny, useful and interesting souvenirs. Fabulous cafe bar, so beautiful interior and amazingly delicious food. Thank you for the good day that I've spent there..

Akvilė Trečiokaitė (12 months ago)
Admission fee was £10 pounds each for which there were not even a single clean toilet in the area. Additionally All cafe's were closed. Overall had a nice 2 hour walk arround in a park and zoo. Many animal cages did not even have descriptions, so we did not even know what we are looking at. ?‍♀️

Jesper Lundgaard (13 months ago)
Something should be kept away, but not forgotten. This is the place to watch magnificent statues from Soviet time. There are excellent leisure for kids too, playground and a small zoo including bears (yes!)

Rokas Gulbinas (13 months ago)
The park is very well kept, takes about 2 hours to see every piece of the exposition. Sculptures outside, and little houses with additional exhibitiond full of paintings and soviet-era items. Additionally, a whole bunch of exotic animals. However, the prices are very high - 10 Euros for adults.

Nerijus Areska (14 months ago)
Very little energy is put into providing actual soviet experiences. There's a bunch of sculptures, some museum expositions. But you cannot use or interact with anything.

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