Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument: travel spot in Lithuania

Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument - interwar monument to Vytautas the Great

The Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument in Dzūkija is about 8.3 m high and was unveiled in 1931 for the 500th anniversary of Vytautas the Great's death. It is considered the largest surviving interwar monument to Vytautas and a symbol of the distinctive Perloja Republic, where local people governed themselves in 1918-1923.

Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument in the town square by the church

Place

Perloja, Varėna District Municipality

Region

Dzūkija

Type

interwar memorial monument to Vytautas the Great

Address

Perloja town, Varėna eldership, Varėna District

Coordinates

54.21510, 24.41730

Visit duration

30-60 minutes with the town

Best time

late spring to autumn; commemorations take place around July 19

Names and variants

Monument to Vytautas the Great in Perloja

Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument

The Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument stands in the town of Perloja, Varėna District, Dzūkija. It is an impressive monument about 8.3 m high, considered the largest surviving interwar monument to Vytautas the Great in Lithuania, though this primacy should be treated as a widely repeated claim.

The monument matters not only for its size but also for what it symbolizes: the distinctive Perloja Republic and the local community's spirit of self-government. Perloja is therefore not an ordinary Dzūkija town but a place with an exceptional history.

A monument to Vytautas

The decision to build the monument was made in autumn 1929, when Perloja riflemen and the community wanted to mark the 500th anniversary of Vytautas the Great's death. It was unveiled on July 19, 1931, and the dates 1430-1930 are carved on it. The artist was Petras Tarabilda and the architect, or construction master, was Stasys Neliubšis.

The monument was built through a lottery and donations, on local initiative. During the Soviet period there were attempts to destroy it and it was shot at, but it survived because railway rails and strong reinforcement were concreted inside. In 1971 it was declared a local art monument. The inscription reads: Vytaute Didysai! Gyvas būsi, kol gyvas nors vienas lietuvis.

Perloja Republic

Perloja is linked with the Perloja Republic, a self-governing community of Perloja residents and surrounding villages that existed, with interruptions, in 1918-1923. In October 1918 an armed self-defence unit formed to protect the region from retreating Germans and later from Soviet Russian and Polish units; it was led by Jonas Česnulevičius.

In November 1918 a local committee with broad powers was elected: it managed militia, court, schools, and had its own seal. The active republic lasted until spring 1919, and in 1920-1923, when Perloja lay in the neutral zone near the Lithuanian-Polish demarcation line, it was partly revived as a Riflemen unit. It is one of Lithuania's strongest local self-government stories.

Perloja town

Perloja is an old town by the Merkys River, first mentioned in Jogaila's act of 1387; a church already stood here in Vytautas's time, and in 1792 Perloja received Magdeburg rights. The present parish church was built in 1930.

Besides the Vytautas monument, the town has a 1995 partisan monument titled For Perloja and All Lithuania and a local history museum. On the route from Vilnius to Varėna there is also an avenue of wooden sculptures known as the M. K. Čiurlionis Road.

How to visit the monument

The monument is open, public, and freely accessible in the town centre, so it can be seen at any time. Together with the town, church, and local history museum, a visit usually takes 30-60 minutes.

There is no ticket or fixed opening time for the monument. If you also want to visit Perloja Local History Museum, check its opening hours before going, because they can change.

Perloja Vytautas the Great Monument: frequently asked questions

When was the Perloja Vytautas monument built?

The decision to build it was made in 1929, and it was unveiled on July 19, 1931, marking the 500th anniversary of Vytautas the Great's death. The dates 1430-1930 are carved on it.

Who created the monument?

The artist was Petras Tarabilda, and the architect and construction master was Stasys Neliubšis. It was built on local initiative through a lottery and donations.

How tall is the monument?

About 8.3 m. It is considered the largest surviving interwar monument to Vytautas the Great in Lithuania, though this primacy is best treated as a widely repeated claim.

How did the monument survive the Soviet period?

There were attempts to destroy it and it was shot at, but it survived because railway rails and strong reinforcement were concreted inside. In 1971 it was declared a local art monument.

What is the Perloja Republic?

It was a self-governing community of Perloja residents and nearby villages that existed, with interruptions, in 1918-1923. It had its own committee, militia, court, and seal, and was led by Jonas Česnulevičius.

Where is the monument?

It stands in the town of Perloja by the Merkys River, in Varėna District, Dzūkija, about 14 km west of Varėna.

Do you need a ticket?

No. The monument is open, public, and freely accessible in the town centre, and can be viewed free of charge at any time.

What else can you see in Perloja?

See the 1930 parish church, the 1995 partisan monument For Perloja and All Lithuania, the local history museum, and the wooden-sculpture avenue called the M. K. Čiurlionis Road.