MEDIA
Pasvalys

Ustukiai bridge over the river Mūša – in 1928, Antanas Smetona was the first one who crossed it. Petras Vileišis Gymnasium (former Commerce Gymnasium). The Narrow Gauge Railway Station is a site of cultural heritage.
We will tell about the manor of Smetona parents’-in-law Chodakauskai to which the first reinforced concrete bridge in the region, named after President Smetona, led. The monument to Petras Vileišis, which was built in 1935 by the sculptor Vincas Grybas, survived throughout the entire Soviet period. The gymnasium had its own art gallery, to which works were donated by famous artists of that time. We will travel with the famous ‘narrow gauge’ and visit the city market. It is said that the Pasvalys region is famous for its copper trumpets. Jonas Valeika and Felicijonas Danušaitis, former students of Pasvalys Gymnasium, will share their memories. They were both exiled to Siberia before graduating from the gymnasium. The route will be accompanied by Paiešmenių Brass – the ensemble of wind instruments and its director Audrius Baronas. Children from Paiešmeniai will show how to properly maintain the rails and ride the draisine.

What people say
from the eye and from the heart
Gražvydas Balčiūnaitis,
heritage specialist
A plate bearing the inscription ‘Smetonos tiltas’ (“Smetona’s Bridge”) was hanging for only two years. Probably people didn’t like Smetona. It was better to live in democratic Lithuania than under Smetona regime.
Jurgita Valuntonienė,
teacher
Residents of Pasvalys hoped to receive money for the Monument to Petras Vileišis in Kaunas but after they failed, they built a modest monument with their own resources.
Dr Kastytis Antanaitis,
VMU historian
A school was often perceived as a decoration for the area, a sign of progress and Europeanisation.
We are interested in your opinion.
Share your excitement if you have already in this city