BNS, July 23, 2023

Two new artistic installations now grace the Old Town in Anykščiai, Lithuania, north of Vilnius intended to commemorate the former Jewish population.

The Anykščiai municipality reports a sculptural relief by professor Romualdas Inčirauskas and Zita Inčirauskienė called “Memorial Marker for the Former Synagogues” was installed at the site of the former synagogue at Šaltupio street. It reportedly includes portion of a map of the town from 1925 with the sites of six former synagogues marked.

The same artists installed a bench in front of the building located at Baranauskas Square no. 7. There are seven human figure sculptures on top of the bench back to symbolize the days of the week with the Sabbath represented as a rabbi.

In the late 1890s Jews accounted for 70% of the rural town’s population. It had numerous Jewish schools, Hebrew and Yiddish libraries, six or seven synagogues, a Jewish theater troupe, a branch of the Jewish People’s Bank and other Jewish community institutions.

Professor Iničirauskas also intends to install a decorative paving stone next to the courthouse marking the beginning of the former Palestine Street there and another commemorative marker at the Maxima supermarket.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

Featured photo from Anykščiai municipality courtesy 15min.lt, photos below courtesy Anyksta.lt: