Hill of Crosses

This area is known to behold some sense of power, it is quite a sight to look upon. Located in Lithuania lies a staggering spectacle of crosses scattered around north from the city of Siauliai. It is amply named “Hill of Crosses”. The population here is around 110,000 people. Thousands of crosses represent the sheer devotion to Christianity.

The origination of the area was once occupied by Teutonic Knights dating back to 1236 in the 14th century. Warding off foreign invaders the symbolism of the crosses represented a peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism. Oppression came to be. The hillside was soon filled with more crosses after the peasants revolted between 1831-1863.

As time passed, it was taken over by Germany during World War II. The area sustained immense damage from the war. Later during the war, Russia reclaimed the area. It would not be until the year 1991 until Lithuania would claim its independence.

The Soviets had the crosses removed on the hill. There were three different occasions when the hill was completely leveled and the crosses were either burned or melted down into scrap metal. This area was then covered by waste. Each time during 1961, 1973 and 1975 the crosses were further removed. Even during the visit from Pope John Paul II the Hill of Crosses still stood back during September of 1993.

The Hill of Crosses are quite a sight to see, being carved out of wood and metal. The craftsmanship of each cross is equally amazing as well. When the wind picks up blowing through the forest—the rosaries there make interesting musical sounds. People have even been married here, believing in the atmosphere of religious practices.