Memorial to cemeteries of Lithuania Minor

This is an odd sort of memorial to all cemeteries of Lithuania Minor, destroyed in Soviet occupation years. The crosses of former cemeteries, collected by Dionyzas Varkalis, are exposed in a branch of the History Museum of Lithuania Minor – in the Blacksmiths‘ Museum, established as well by D. Varkalis initiative.   

Since the first post-war years disappearance of Klaipėda city old cemeteries‘ started, finally having acquired a form of targeted liquidation. In 1974 the process of destruction commenced: metal crosses, fences and other items were turned into scrap metal. Dionyzas Varkalis, a blacksmith and metal restorer from Klaipėda, managed to save and preserve part of cemeteries‘ monuments (8 truck loads of crosses, fences and gates).    

Soon D. Varkalis in a half-destroyed building of the old town of Klaipėda (Šaltkalvių street) discovered smithery with the survived authentic old master‘s tools and equipment that belonged to Gustav Katzke, a famous blacksmith from Klaipėda. The idea to restore this and adjacent building as weel as to establish permanent exhibition of blacksmith works was born.   

As soon as the restoration of the old blacksmith was completed, D. Varkalis revived blacksmithing as a craft whereas in the yard he opened a temporary exposition of crosses and fences from cemeteries.