Volunteers and privates of Lithuanian army fought for the freedom of Lithuania in decisive battles against Polish army and stopped the invasion into the heart of Lithuania. Final resting places of soldiers who have fallen in the fights are marked by concrete crosses in the city cemetery. Monuments were built in Sirvintos and Giedraiciai to reminds us of their desire for freedom, courage and sacrifice.
On November 19, 1920, during the struggle for independence, the soldiers of the Lithuanian army repelled the Polish aggression in the Battle of Širvintos and stopped their advance deeper into Lithuania.
In the spring of 1925, a meeting of intelligentsia and society of Širvintos township was convened on the initiative of I. Juodenikis (Juodemsko), the head of the Širvintos border police. A committee for managing the graves of volunteers who died in the independence struggle was established. In 1926, the committee collected about 10,000 litas through donation sheets, part of which was spent on cleaning up five grave sites in the surroundings of Širvintos. For the remaining unused ones - to build a monument in Širvintos. The monument to Lithuanian soldiers was unveiled on August 15, 1927, one of the first in Lithuania. Back then the monument was surrounded by a wooden fence, and during the unveiling ceremony it was surrounded by a long wreath of herbs, which was hung on high poles. Gediminas pillars were woven from grasses with the inscription: "Those who died in battle will live forever." The author of the monument is sculptor Robertas Antinis (senior), a participant in the battle of Giedraičiai-Širvintos. The monument of Lithuanian soldiers created for Širvintos stands in the square near the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Širvintos. The sculptor depicted a stumbling mother holding her dying son. The sculpture is mounted on a rectangular pedestal with a cross on the front plane, reliefs of a shield with the Vytis cross and a sword. The monument was demolished in the middle of the 20th century. In 1991, the monument to those who died for the Independence of Lithuania was rebuilt at the expense of the people of Širvintos, the author is Robertas Antinis (junior).
Širvintos is a city in the east of Lithuania. The Širvinta River flows through the city. It is dammed in the city and forms the Širvintos pond. On the bridge across the pond in the south direction, you can reach the old cemetery of the town of Širvintos - next to the road on the left side. After a short walk, you can see the territory of the Lithuanian soldiers' cemetery, surrounded by an iron fence. Soldiers were buried here after one of the most prominent moments in the history of the city of Širvintos - the battle of Širvintos-Giedraičiai in 1920. During the independence struggles, the Lithuanian army won a battle against the Poles near Širvintos-Giedraičiai, forced them to stop their attack and withdraw to their previously occupied positions. This battle stopped the advance of the Polish general L. Żeligowski into the depths of Lithuania and preserved the Independence of Lithuania. The area and its surroundings were in the neutral zone, which was abolished in 1923 and Širvintos became part of Lithuania.
23 graves of Lithuanian soldiers are enclosed in this cemetery. Above them - the marking of Lithuanian tombstones - concrete crosses with the sun and the names of soldiers. Most of the soldiers' graves are marked by concrete soldier's crosses created by the artists Antanas Aleksandravičius and Adomas Varnas. They are built for soldiers in their eternal resting places. The privates and volunteers of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Samogitian Duke Butigeidis are buried here. Most of them fell in the fall of 1920 during the battle of Širvintos-Giedraičiai in Širvintos. Also in Giedraičiai town, Motiejūnai and surrounding villages. Polish soldiers who fell in the same battle in Širvintos are buried next to the Lithuanian graves. The graves of Polish soldiers are marked by the same Lithuanian crosses. This shows that the dead soldier was not an enemy to civilized nations even during the war. The graves of Lithuanian soldiers in Širvintos, who died in 1920 in the fight for Lithuania's independence, were restored with the funds of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Values. On November 19, the anniversary of the Lithuanian independence struggle is celebrated in Širvintos every year.
On October 9, 1920, the team of General Lucjan Żeligowski occupied Vilnius and continued the attack in the west and northwest direction. On November 17, the attack on Ukmergė, launched by the Polish army, stalled. They managed to occupy Širvintos and Giedraičiai. The Lithuanian army started the attack in the night from November 20 to 21. Part of the military forces attacked Giedraičiai. The 2nd infantry regiment is from Želva, and the 9th infantry regiment is from Videniškiai. As the Lithuanians attacked in the direction of Giedraičiai, heavy fighting took place in the vicinity of Giedraičiai near Šiupieniai (Šiupieniai manor) and the farm buildings of Seirūnai manor. Also in the Bekupė manor - 4 km northwest of Giedraičiai. Polish soldiers remained on the heights of the front line near Giedraičiai, supported by artillery fire in the Martiniškiai Manor. Here the Poles resisted the Lithuanians for the last time. Later, units of the Lithuanian army drove the Poles out of their occupied positions and entered Giedraičiai. The place of the Battle of Giedraičiai is marked and the memory is given meaning by a symbolic cannon.
Driving to Giedračiai on the old Molėtai highway, you pass Lake Kiementas from the west side. In the center of the town, next to Vilniaus Street, a square with linden trees surrounding it is established. In the middle of the square - the monument "Karžygiams, žuvusiems už Lietuvos laisvę 1920 m.", a landmark of the town of Giedraičiai.
That year, Lithuanian soldiers fought with the Polish army. After the Polish army occupied Vilnius and were advancing deep into Lithuania, the Lithuanian army, led by General Silvestras Žukauskas, blocked their way. The Lithuanian resistance was successful - the Polish advance was stopped. Those who died at Giedraičiai and Širvintai in 1920 while fighting for the freedom of their homeland are honored with their names immortalized on the obelisk. In the front part of the monument there is an inscription: "To the soldiers who died for the freedom of Lithuania near Giedraičiai in 1920." On the left side - "Rest, friends, who died honorably near Giedraičiai in 1920, defending the land of our fathers from the Poles. We will definitely visit you, because the road to VILNIUS is through your graves! 9th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian Duke Vytenis”. On the right side there are inscriptions: "Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas who died honorably in the fields of Giedraičiai for the freedom of the Motherland in 1920." In 1932, the monument "Karžygiams, žuvusiems už Lietuvos laisvę 1920 m." unveiled on June 19, was created by the native artist Antanas Jaroševičius. Giedraičiai gymnasium is now named after him. This monument is the only monument dedicated to the struggle for independence that was not demolished and restored during the Soviet era.
