„Remembering the history, we also look to the future”. Graves of January Uprising soldiers in Rasos Cemetery

Memorial ceremony in honour of insurrectionists buried in the oldest Vilnius necropolis, Rasos Cemetery took place on thursday, 19th September. Ambassador and General Consul of the Republic of Poland and scouts took part in the event.

„You weren’t forced to come here but you did it because you felt it’s right. This is highly appreciated.” – said to them organizer of the event, chairman of the Social Committee for the Care of Old Rossa Alicja Klimaszewska.

„That’s your merit, that we can gather here. Remembering the history, we also look to the future, because young people are here with us. They will save heroes from oblivion in upcoming years.” – emphasized in his short speech Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Lithuania Jarosław Czubiński.

Participants of the celebrations visited graves of insurrectionists in procession. The scouts described life of every buried soldier, wreaths and candles were laid, prayers were said over the tombs.

„We knew that insurectionists are buried in Rasos Cemetery, but specific location of places of burial were unknown. This year we celebrated 150 anniversary of January Uprising and it motivated us to search for them.” – Alicja Klimaszewska explained.

Thanks to the Social Comittee for the Care of Old Rossa and Polish Scouting and Guiding Association on Lithuania efforts, 20 forgotten and  graves were found. So far, three tombstones were renovated.

Searching for places of repose of insurrection’s veterans on Rasos Cemetery will continue. At the same time memoirs about them will be reconstructed. Captain of Polish Scouting and Guiding Association on Lithuania, Adam Błaszkiewicz, says that knowledge about insurectionists is still too small.

Soldiers of Uprising, who are buried at Rasos, were sentenced to exile or came here back voluntarily.

„Their stories are very interesting, but we don’t have many informations about them” – Błaszkiewicz said. He thinks that reconstruction of their biographies is a task for scouts, young people interested in history and history teachers.

Tombstones which were found recently were signed with an emblem of Uprising – White Eagle, Pahonia and St. Michael.

„In future we want to make an insurrectional trail on Rasos Cemetery” – Alicja Klimaszewska said. 

Source: http://zw.lt/wilno-wilenszczyzna/pamietajac-o-historii-patrzymy-tez-w-przyszlosc-groby-powstancow-styczniowych-na-rossie/

Tłumaczenie by Aleksandra Szcześniak w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Aleksandra Szcześniak within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.