Petrašiūnai Cemetery ( lt, Petrašiūnų kapinės) 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, Lithuania. It covers over in a quiet area of a peninsula formed by the Neman River where its bend was widened by

Kaunas Reservoir Kaunas Reservoir ( lt, Kauno marios, 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 to ...

. Its name, lt, Petrašiūnų ("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 Kaunas 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 Saliamonas Banaitis (; 15 July 1866 – 4 May 1933) was a Lithuanian printer, politician, and businessman. He was one of the twenty signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania in 1918. Early death of his father and brother forced Banait ...

, printer, educator, and banker; a signer of the

Act of Independence of Lithuania The Act of Independence of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės Aktas) or the Act of February 16, also the Lithuanian Resolution on Independence ( lt, Lietuvos Nepriklausomybės Nutarimas), The signed document is actually titled simply '' ...

* Bernardas Brazdžionis, poet * Kazys Binkis, poet *

Leonas Bistras Leonas Bistras (20 October 1890 in Liepāja – 17 October 1971 in Kaunas) was one of the most prominent Lithuanian politicians of the interwar period. A Christian Democrat, he rose to the peak of his career in 1925, when he was appointed as the P ...

, 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 Russia ...

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 especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

Vladimiras Dubeneckis Vladimiras Dubeneckis (6 September 1888 – 10 August 1932) was a Lithuanian architect and painter. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Leon Benois Leon Benois (russian: Леонтий Николаевич Бенуа; 185 ...

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

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

, archeologist *

Algirdas Julius Greimas Algirdas Julien Greimas (; born ''Algirdas Julius Greimas''; 9 March 1917 – 27 February 1992) was a Lithuanian literary scientist who wrote most of his body of work in French while living in France. Greimas is known among other things for t ...

, philosopher,

semiotician Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes (semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something, ...

Juozas Gruodis Juozas Gruodis (20 December 1884 in Rokėnai, Russian Empire – 16 April 1948 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union) was a famous Lithuanian classic, composer, educator and professor. Biography His father was a woodworker Woodworking i ...

, composer *

Juozas Grušas Juozas Grušas (November 16, 1901, Žadžiūnai-Kalniškiai, Kovno Governorate – May 21, 1986, Kaunas) was a Lithuanian writer, editor, dramatist and playwright. Biography Grušas' first inspirational teacher was the Lithuanian poet Jovaras, ...

, 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 Jon ...

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

* Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė, writer, literary critic * Marija Lastauskienė, writer * Kazys Lozoraitis, diplomat *

Stasys Lozoraitis :''See Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. for an article about a son of Stasys Lozoraitis.'' Stasys Lozoraitis (born: September 5, 1898 - December 24, 1983) was a prominent Lithuanian diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Lithuania f ...

, diplomat, Foreign Minister of Lithuania from 1934 until 1938. * Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. Jr., diplomat *

Algimantas Masiulis Algimantas Masiulis (July 10, 1931 Surdegis, Anykščiai District Municipality — August 19, 2008, Kaunas, Lithuania) was a Lithuanian film and theatre actor. Biography Masiulis appeared in his first play in the autumn of 1948, in '' School ...

, actor *

Antanas Merkys Antanas Merkys (; 1 February 1887 – 5 March 1955) was the last Prime Minister of independent Lithuania, serving from November 1939 to June 1940. When the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum to Lithuania demanding that it accept a Soviet g ...

(symbolic tombstone), Prime Minister * Ričardas Mikutavičius, priest, theologian, poet *

Salomėja Nėris Salomėja Bačinskaitė-Bučienė, mostly known by her pen name Nėris (; 17 November 1904 – 7 July 1945) was a Lithuanian poet. Biography Salomėja was born in Kiršai, Suwałki Governorate (current district of Vilkaviškis). She graduated ...

, poet *

Stasys Raštikis Stasys Raštikis (September 13, 1896 – May 3, 1985) was a Lithuanian military officer, ultimately obtaining the rank of divisional general. He was the commander of the Lithuanian Army from September 21, 1934, to April 23, 1940. During World War ...

, General of the Lithuanian Army *

Petras Rimša Petras Rimša ( pl, Piotr Rymsza, 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 Suvalk ...

, Lithuanian sculptor and medalist * Česlovas Sasnauskas, composer, organist *

Kazys Šimonis Kazys Šimonis (25 August 1887 – 5 July 1978) was a famous Lithuanian painter. thumb Biography Kazys Šimonis was born on August 25, 1887 in , near Kupiškis, northern Lithuania. He studied organ, was also interested in history and eth ...

, painter *

Kazys Škirpa Kazys Škirpa (18 February 1895 – 18 August 1979) was a Lithuanian military officer and diplomat. He is best known as the founder of the Lithuanian Activist Front (LAF) and his involvement in the attempt to establish Lithuanian independe ...

, 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 th ...

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

Aleksandras Štromas Alexander Shtromas ( lt, Aleksandras Štromas; 4 April 1931 in Kaunas, Lithuania – 12 June 1999 in Chicago) was a prominent Lithuanian political scientist, dissident, professor and author. Alexander Štromas was a cousin of Irena Veisaitė, H ...

, lawyer * Ričardas Tamulis, boxer * Romualdas Tumpa, actor * Juozas Urbšys, diplomat *

Juozas Zikaras Juozas Zikaras (November 18, 1881 – November 10, 1944) was a Lithuanian sculptor and artist, who created the design for pre-war Lithuanian litas coins. He is considered to be one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors. Biography He was ...

, sculptor * Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, painter

References

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

Location

History

Notable graves

See also

References