Monument to Adomas Mickevičius, Vilnius

Monument to Adomas Mickevičius, Vilnius

The monument to Adomas Mickevičius is a significant landmark in Vilnius and a testament to the great poet's influence on Lithuanian and Polish culture. Erected in 1984, the monument stands on the left bank of the Vilnelė River, making it one of the most visited sculptures in the city.

The composition of the monument comprises a rectangular pedestal with the inscription "Adomas Mickevičius" in Lithuanian and a 4.5-meter granite sculpture. The statue portrays the poet in a standing position, leaning thoughtfully on a low, horizontally partitioned column. The two parts of the column symbolize his life in his homeland and in exile, conveying his dual cultural identity belonging to both Polish and Lithuanian cultures.

The monument's design and construction were the work of sculptor Gediminas Jokūbonis and architect Vytautas Čeknauskas. The monument's unique design has made it a talking sculpture, with a blue table attached to the sculpture's pedestal inviting visitors to scan a QR code or type in a specified URL on their smartphone to listen to the sculpture.

Adomas Mickevičius (1798-1855) was a renowned poet of Lithuanian and Polish Romanticism, born into an old tribe of Lithuanian nobility who lived in the district of Rodūnė. Mickevičius considered himself a citizen of both the Lithuanian and Polish states and wrote in Polish, but he always referred to Lithuania as his homeland.

The first monument to the poet Adomas Mickevičius was secretly built in 1899 in St. John's Church. This location was chosen because the tsarist government forbade the construction of monuments in the city. There have been several attempts throughout history to erect a sculpture for the poet in the city, but they all failed.

On 23 August 1987, a significant event took place at the Adomas Mickevičius monument when approximately 3,000 people gathered to silently condemn the Ribentrop-Molotov pact. This meeting sparked the revival of Lithuania and contributed to the country's eventual independence from the Soviet Union.

Today, the monument to Adomas Mickevičius stands as a symbol of Lithuania's cultural and historical heritage and a reminder of the country's hard-won independence.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Vilnius. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Monument to Adomas Mickevičius on Map

Sight Name: Monument to Adomas Mickevičius
Sight Location: Vilnius, Lithuania (See walking tours in Vilnius)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Vilnius, Lithuania

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