Sculpture: granite bench “Kartu sujunkime krantus” (“Let Us Unite the Shores Together”)

On May 16^th, 2015, a sculpture of a granite bench, called “Kartu sujunkime krantus” (Lith. Let Us Unite the Shores Together), was revealed at the Northern Horn in Klaipėda. The sculpture is a gift from the Smiltynė Ferry Terminal, presented to the city for the company’s 70^th establishment anniversary.

The CEO of the company, Darius Butvydas, explained that this bench has two stories about its origins: “We wanted to present a gift to the city. The tradition of small statues is picking up the pace in Klaipėda. We found the statue Kartu sujunkime krantus to be a perfect fit. Such a bench will also be placed in Smiltynė. The people, who shall sit on these benches on both shores, will link the two with their thoughts and their hearts.”

According to Butvydas, the other origin story concerns the young lady that stands at Northern Horn, who sends a longing kiss to the boy, who stands on the other bank. They cannot seem to find a way to meet each other. Perhaps the bench with the silhouettes of two people, embracing each other, will help them achieve this.

The author of the granite bench is Gintautas Jonkus. He was overjoyed by the fact that his work of art received a lot of attention. The hope is that the citizens of Klaipėda as well as its guests will fall in love with the new statue and that it will become the place of dates as well as other kinds of meet-ups.