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The tender for the creation of the monument to A. Smetona was initiated by the Government that passed before, announced the Ministry of Culture.
The winner of the contest was announced in October last year.
It became the project “622522” and the authors Gediminas Antanas Sakalis, Kazys Venclovas and Indrė Rakauskaitė.
250 thousand were allocated for the implementation of the monument. euros
The monument is planned to be built in Vilnius near the building marked 13 on Gediminas avenue, across from Vincas Kudirka square.
The Lithuanian State Council, chaired by A. Smetona, worked here in the building that stood here in 1918 and has not survived to this day.
According to the authors of the project, the monument should cost more than 45 thousand. EUR, and the implementation of the entire project – about 233 thousand. euros.
Photo by 622522 / Display of the monument to Antanas Smetona
The Ministry of Culture has allocated a total of 250,000 LTL to the Vilnius City Municipality for the construction of the A. Smetona monument. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year.
However, it is not yet clear if the funds will be used and if the construction of the monument will actually take place.
Consider the project inappropriate
After the new Government took office on March 3 this year, the City Council Historical Memory Commission headed by Gediminas Jaunius, a member of the Vilnius City Council, approached the Ministry of Culture and proposed to halt the construction of A Smetona. monument and announce a new contest.
After the Historical Memory Commission of the Vilnius City Council evaluated and discussed the situation of the competition organization, the determination of the competition winners and the winning project, it was concluded that the artistic and architectural solution chosen for the president A. Smetona is not suitable, “the commission wrote.
It also criticizes the fact that the commission that selected the winner of the competition consisted solely of architects and sculptors, and there were no representatives from the Vilnius City Municipality or Vilnius residents.
“All decisions regarding this monument were, in principle, taken unilaterally by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania and the former Government of the Republic of Lithuania,” the Capital Historical Memory Commission stated in the letter.
Proposed to announce a new contest.
Addressing the newly formed government and the Minister of Culture, the commission proposed “suspending all actions and issues related to the monument to President A. Smetona.”
The letter also proposes to reconsider the problems of the implementation of the project “622522”, which is “in the opinion of the majority of residents and professionals of Vilnius”: artistic / architectural solutions, the project budget.
“The question of the mentioned monument is important not only for a duly immortalized historical memory, but also for the adequate urban architectural solutions in the capital.
We invite you to announce a new competition for the A. Smetonai monument.
All members of society must be guaranteed the right to a high level of artistic solutions. Therefore, we invite you to announce a new competition for the monument to A. Smetonai, “urged the commission.
The commemoration of President A. Smetona in Vilnius, according to her, is important, but, in the opinion of the commission, “the artistic level of the monument should be high and appropriate, in homage to the President of Lithuania, who held this position in 1919- 1920 and 1926-1940, and meet architectural requirements. “
He promised a reconsideration of the monument itself.
In response to this appeal, the Ministry of Culture organized an inter-institutional meeting, where it was decided to reconsider “the issue of the monument to A. Smetonas in the future.”
“An inter-institutional meeting was held between the representatives of the presidency, the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of the City of Vilnius, during which it was agreed to seek a solution acceptable to all and to return to this issue in the near future, reviewing the issue of the monument to A. Smetonai in principle, “said Albinas Vilčinskas, Deputy Minister of Culture. commentary 15 minutes sent by Viktorija Vitkauskaitė, spokesperson for the Minister of Culture.
Photo by Marius Vizbaras / 15min / Albinas Vilčinskas
After asking if it is planned to return to the question of the monument of A. Smetona this year, V.Vitkauskaitė did not specify the date.
“The issue of the monument to A. Smetona has not been forgotten or postponed, as the deputy minister commented, it will be taken up again in the near future,” he said.
The purpose of the funds will not change yet
The representative of the Minister assured that at least 250 thousand LTL will be provided for the implementation of the idea of the monument A. Smetona. no other use is intended.
Until concrete decisions are made on this project, there is no reason to consider a different use of the funds.
“The funding was provided for a specific purpose: the implementation of the A. Smetona monument project. Until specific decisions are made on this project, there is no reason to consider a different use of the funds,” noted V.Vitkauskaitė.
Its authors stated that they knew nothing about the decision of the Ministry to suspend the construction of the monument A. Smetona and the execution of the project “622522”.
“I did not know. I learned suddenly only from you. The authors somehow do not invite such an impression to such things, meetings or the like. Very unexpected” – 15 minutes K. Venclovas commented.
“It always happens to us with those monuments. Contests take place, the winner is chosen, then the contest is canceled or not established. Not the first time. This is no longer surprising, “he added.
GASaka: better order in kindergarten
GASakalis also assured that no one would begin to build the monument to A. Smetona for the moment.
“It is as if everything was decided, everything is fine, but the government representatives … The kindergarten is better than here with them, in the government or in the municipality,” he commented.
When a patient needs to be placed on an operating table, someone steps away, what a grandmother, and says maybe not.
“When a patient needs to be placed on an operating table, someone comes from the side, what a grandmother, and says that maybe we don’t need it, maybe we treat it differently here, maybe with some kind of hydromassage, Said the author of the project . Tenders issued by the authorities.
Later on Friday, Culture Minister Simonas Kairys clarified that it is not possible to say that the monument will not be built.
“We are in a very simple situation – we have done all the paperwork, the commission’s decision is clear, the winner has been selected, the ministry has a practical contract, a pen and more money for this project on the table.” S. Kairys commented.
According to him, taking into account the reaction of the Vilnius City Municipal Commission, the question is returned so that “they clearly state whether this is the official opinion of the municipality.”
“Because the question is: that the bet itself is still organized and carried out by the municipality itself,” emphasized S. Kairys.
Waiting for a response from the municipality
The minister stressed that the Vilnius city municipality should speak clearly about the monument to A. Smetona in the capital, and not about its commission, although the mayor of Vilnius has said that he is not a supporter of such a monument in the capital.
S. Kairys mentioned that the state must also feel responsible towards artists.
Photo by Luke April / 15 Minutes / Simon Kairys
“Because if we keep looking for some solutions, I’m afraid that not only will we get participants in those competitions, because no one will take us seriously anymore. And that must be evaluated in some way in a responsible way.
Now I cannot say what the municipality is going to officially write to us, but as regards the ministry, as I have already mentioned, all, in our opinion, all the processes are the result and everything ”, emphasized the Minister of Culture. .
Former Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis proposed building a memorial to A. Smetona in Vilnius early last year, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Lithuanian independence.
To do this, he convened a working group.
The mayor of Vilnius did not support the idea.
“I think this is a man, a leader, a president who has given Lithuania a lot in terms of restoring independence,” he added. then S.Svvernelis commented.
“Today, if someone is trying to judge that the traitor has escaped, he should be seen from the current conditions, how would he have acted at that time?”
President Gitanas Nausėda has called A. Smetonas a symbol of Lithuanian statehood.
And the mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius, has stated that he is not a supporter of the idea of the monument of A. Smetona in Vilnius.
“Personally, I never set a goal for Antanas Smetona to show up in Vilnius. I don’t think it’s a good idea. <...> Antanas Smetona: maybe in Kaunas, maybe somewhere else, but Vilnius is a cosmopolitan and open city and should symbolize such ideas. I’m definitely not a fan of the A. Smetona monument “, In 2018 15 minutes commented.
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