If one visits Klaipeda, Lithuania and is interested in art, this
sculpture park is a must-see. Surrounded by K. Donelaicio street,
S.Daukanto street, Trilapio street and Liepu street the L-shaped park
is more than 12 hectares big. Many, if not all the sculptures have a little
sign nearby, telling who the artist was, the title of the sculpture and the
year it was created.
"The Klaipeda Sculpture Park was established in the central part of
the city in 1977. Just 40 years ago, this was the location of an abandoned
cemetery. Various sources claim that over 40,000 inhabitants of Old Klaipeda
could have been buried here, among which there could be some activists from
Lithuania Minor.
During and after the war, Klaipeda has lost a majority of its German
inhabitants, and when the Soviet Union took over the city, anything that was
considered German was being removed. The old tombstones with German writings
were being turned over, the graves were being robbed and vandalised and the
fences and plates were being reused in other constructions. Thus, the
cemetery eventually turned into a grassy and bushy plane. In 1975, the
Soviet Government decided to eliminate the cemetery and to build a park
there.
Today, the Sculpture Park is home to 116 different statues. Said
statues were created during the Smiltyne Sculptors Symposium (1977-1991) by
67 different sculptors. Sculptors Symposiums took place during the summer
and was one of the most significant cultural initiative of the time and it
was not only in the city – it was a national. In 1986, the Klaipeda
Sculpture Park was declared a local natural monument. Every sculpture in the
park tells a story and bears a certain meaning, significance, and idea.
The Sculpture Park has tombstones from the 19th and 20th centuries,
which greatly speak of the city’s history. When Lithuania’s independence was
restored, some people started to rebuild the tombstones in the southern part
of the park, bringing in flowers and candles. In some places, one could even
see small hills, where people were buried."
Source: www.krastogidas.lt/en/objects/the-klaipeda-sculpture-park
This website shows a photo of 92 of the 116 sculptures and provides title
and creator.
The coords for the WM were taken in the center of the park.