THE EXPOSITION
"LITHUANIA IN 1940–1941: THE PERSECUTIONS START..."
The
Museum of Genocide Victims
The exposition was opened on 27th November 2002.
This exposition is the introductory exposition (although it
is not the first exposition that had been arranged under the project,
prepared in 1999). The first exposition was arranged in 2000 in the former
cell of executions. We hope that the whole project will be embodied in the
future and that all planned expositions, reflecting the history of the occupied
Lithuania in all its aspects, will be arranged in some years.
The displayed documents, photographies, maps and things tell about the
difficult and tragic period of Lithuanian history. They remind the
occupation and annexion of the State, arranged by the SSRS on 15 June
1940, the sovietisation of the country and the repressions of the
inhabitants of Lithuania. On the second stand one can get acquainted with
the reconstructed interior and workplace of the prison assistant manager
that is seen behind the vitreous stand. The workplace and interior remind
of the purpose of this room till the 1990, till the reinstatement of the
Independence of Lithuania.
One did not try to illustrate the detailed historical facts (a small room
also restricted our possibilities). First of all, one tried to show the
effects of the above mentioned facts to our country and people. Over 3,000
people were persecuted under the first Soviet occupation (15 June 1940 to
22 June 1941), in only one year. Among them: men, women and children.
There were only the beginning of the story of occupation and loss that
lasted half a century. This experience is still alive in the memories of
people of that generation, and to others through the stories of
grandparents or parents. It has affected their fate and the fates of
succeeding generations…
Most
of the exhibits are the property of the Museum of Genocide Victims; some
have been lent by other museums across the country and by private
individuals. Some of the photographs are from the Central and Special
Archives of Lithuania. Although some of them have already been seen by the
profiicients of Lithuanian history but we think that even they will find
photographies that might be never before published or even never before
seen.
The exposition has been arranged with the help of modern technical tools,
artistic metaphors, so people who are interested in history and everyone
who is interested in art and modern technologies will be interested to
visit it.
