Petrašiūnai Cemetery () is Lithuania's premiere last resting place formally designated for graves of people influential in national history, politics, arts, and science.

Location

Petrašiūnai Cemetery is located about south-east of the center of

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. It covers over in a quiet area of a peninsula formed by the

Neman River Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...

where its bend was widened by

Kaunas Reservoir Kaunas Reservoir (, Kaunas Lagoon, Kaunas Sea) is the largest Lithuanian artificial lake, created in 1959 by damming the Nemunas River near Kaunas and Rumšiškės. It occupies 63.5 square kilometers, which is about 0.1% of the total territory o ...

. Its name, ("of Petrašiūnai"), is based on

Petrašiūnai Petrašiūnai is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. Part of larger Petrašiūnai elderate which also consists with Amaliai, Palemonas and Naujasodis neighorhoods. In 2006 it occupied about 28.46 km², with ...

, the borough of the City of

where it is placed.

History

The construction of the cemetery began by the end of 1939, burials started in 1941, it was periodically expanded in the late 1950s and needed substantial restoration after the gale of 6 August 2010. The options for a burial at the cemetery have been formally restricted since 1972, the authorities designated it as the location where prominent people of Lithuania are buried, the last resting place of accomplished scientists, writers, artists, and politicians.

Notable graves

* Vytautas Augustauskas, educator, scientist, sports organizer * Saliamonas Banaitis, printer, educator, and banker; a signer of the Act of Independence of Lithuania * Bernardas Brazdžionis, poet * Kazys Binkis, poet * Leonas Bistras, Lithuanian Prime Minister, translator, philosopher, professor *

Kazimieras Būga Kazimieras Būga (; November 6, 1879 – December 2, 1924) was a Lithuanian linguist and philologist. He was a professor of linguistics, who mainly worked on the Lithuanian language. He was born at Pažiegė, near Dusetos, then part of the Russ ...

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

* Vladimiras Dubeneckis, architect, painter * Paulius Galaunė, art historian, museum curator, and graphic artist *

Marija Gimbutas Marija Gimbutas (, ; January 23, 1921 – February 2, 1994) was a Lithuanian archaeology, archaeologist and anthropologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old European Culture, Old Europe" and for her Kurgan ...

, archeologist * Algirdas Julius Greimas, philosopher,

semiotician Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter. Semiosis is an ...

* Juozas Gruodis, composer * Juozas Grušas, Lithuanian playwright, writer, editor, and dramatist *

Jonas Jablonskis Jonas Jablonskis (; 30 December 1860, in Kubilėliai, Šakiai district – 23 February 1930, in Kaunas) was a distinguished Lithuanian linguist and one of the founders of the standard Lithuanian language. He used the pseudonym ''Rygiškių Jonas'' ...

Kazimieras Jaunius Kazimieras Jaunius (1848–1908) was a Lithuanian Catholic priest and linguist. While Jaunius published very little, his major achievements include a well regarded Lithuanian grammar, systematization and classification of the Lithuanian dial ...

, linguist * Steponas Kairys, politician, engineer * Petras Kalpokas, painter * Petras Klimas, diplomat, historian, a signer of the Act of Independence of Lithuania * Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė, writer, literary critic * Marija Lastauskienė, writer * Kazys Lozoraitis, diplomat * Stasys Lozoraitis, diplomat, Foreign Minister of Lithuania from 1934 until 1938. *

Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. (August 2, 1924 – June 13, 1994) was a Lithuanian diplomat and politician who served as the Head of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service from 1987 to 1991, Chief Diplomat to the United States 1991 to 1993 and Ambassador to Ita ...

Jr., diplomat * Algimantas Masiulis, actor * Antanas Merkys (symbolic tombstone), Prime Minister *

Ričardas Mikutavičius Ričardas Mikutavičius (February 26, 1935 – July 1, 1998) was a Lithuanian priest, Doctor of Theology, poet, and one of the most famous collectors of art in Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the ...

, priest, theologian, poet * Salomėja Nėris, poet * Stasys Raštikis, General of the

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

Petras Rimša Petras Rimša (, 3 November 1881 in Naudžiai, Vilkaviškis district – 2 October 1961 in Kaunas) was one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors and medalists. Biography Rimša was born to a family of farmers in Suvalkija, which was then ...

, Lithuanian sculptor and medalist * Česlovas Sasnauskas, composer, organist * Kazys Šimonis, painter * Kazys Škirpa, Lithuanian military officer and diplomat * Jonas Semaška, Lithuanian military officer *

Mykolas Sleževičius Mykolas Sleževičius (21 February 1882 – 11 November 1939) was a Lithuanian lawyer, political and cultural figure, and journalist. One of the most influential figures in inter-war Lithuania, he served as the prime minister of Lithuania on thr ...

, Lithuanian Prime Minister, lawyer * Algirdas Šocikas, Lithuanian boxer * Aleksandras Štromas, lawyer *

Ričardas Tamulis Ričardas Tamulis (22 July 1938 – 22 April 2008) was an amateur Lithuanian welterweight boxer who won the European title in 1961, 1963 and 1965 and an Olympic silver medal in 1964. Tamulis took up boxing in 1953 and won the Soviet welterweig ...

, boxer * Romualdas Tumpa, actor * Juozas Urbšys, diplomat * Juozas Zikaras, sculptor * Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, painter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Petrasiunai Cemetery Cemeteries in Kaunas 1940 establishments in Lithuania

Location

History

Notable graves

See also

References

External links