The January 13 Memorial to the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania

About object:

When commemorating the seventeenth anniversary of the tragic events of January 13 a special memorial was erected. For this purpose a tender was organized. The tender was won by architects Kęstutis Kisielius and Jurgis Dagelis, employees of Vilniaus Architektūros Studija UAB.

The idea of the object is to preserve what was created with faith and heart. The memorial is implemented by the Western Facade of the House of Parliament. A small spatial glass structure covers a fragment of the barricades, which surrounded the “heart of Lithuania”, i. e. the Parliament. The authors of the project considered the smallest intervention, both physically and visually, the most important task.

The aim of the structure, i. e. to preserve the surviving remains of the authentic barricades and small architecture elements – was successfully implemented. The intention was to create a solemn environment for a prayer and a place for an exposition of remembrance of the events, related with reinstatement of the Independence. The laconic and fragile capacity covers the authentic objects without any denomination or shading. The minimalistic architectural means create a forceful atmosphere of preservation of memory of painful, but precious events.

J. Rėklaitė