In Trakai, as in the whole of Lithuania, 13 January was marked by the memory of 13 January 1991, when many thousands of people in Vilnius courageously stood in the way of the tanks and machine guns of the Soviet army in defence of the regained national independence. 14 Lithuanians had been killed and hundreds injured in this peaceful protest.
Unarmed people, led by a relentless desire for freedom, rose up against the tanks and machine guns of the Soviet government. Lithuanians always remember the heroes of that day on 13 January, “Freedom Defenders Day” – also known as “Bloody Sunday”. The actions took place in 1991 in Vilnius and the suburbs as well as in the cities of Alytius, Siauliai, Varena and Kaunas.
The commemoration “We sang our freedom” took place on Thursday, 13 January, among others in the car park of the Palace of Culture. The literary-ethnographic exhibition “We remember” will be on display at the Trakai Library until 5 February. The exhibition “We will not forget them” is dedicated to the defenders of Lithuanian freedom until 31 January. In total, more than a dozen events took place in the localities of Trakai district to mark the commemoration. Many people followed the call of the Trakai district administration and placed candles in the windows already in the morning.