Granite monument for the Lithuanian partisans, who died in Šilalė district

The monument is located in the Šilalė city centre, Atminimo Square, on the corner of J. Basanavičiaus and Vytauto Didžiojo streets. The monument features about 180 partisan names, but, according to latest data, the number of those, who died during the resistance in Šilalė district is much higher – about 350 freedom fighters. The list also should include 15 messengers and underground activists, not to mention the partisans and their supporters, who died in camps and exile. The famous leaders of the resistance movement – Aleksandras Milaševičius-Ruonis, Head of the Western Lithuanian (Jūra) Area, Vladas Montydas-Žemaitis, Head of the Samogitian District, and Petras Balčinas-Pušis, Head of Butigeidis Detachment – operated and died namely in the territory that is included into the modern-day Šilalė district. It also should be noted that in this land, which doesn’t have many forests (except for the south-western part) and therefore is not very suitable for partisan war, the struggle took nearly 15 years until the last shot in 1959.
The monument for the freedom fighters was officially consecrated in autumn of 1998. The author and one of the initiators of the monument is Titas Žymančius, former partisan messenger. He was also assisted by Zosė and Petras Baranauskai, Petras Briedis, Antanas Damulis, Palmyra and Antanas Gestautai, Zita Lazdauskienė, Ieva Puidokienė and other locals. The construction was supported by the government of the Republic of Lithuania, Šilalė District Municipality and others. All of them are included into one of the plates of the monument.
This monument is where the young members of the Riflemen Union and scouts give their oaths, locals host various memorial events and pay their respects to the dead partisans. This is also one of the checkpoints for the hikers of the annual hike on the partisan trails of the Kęstutis Military District.

Compiled in 2018