Global True Lithuania Encyclopedia of Lithuanian heritage worldwide

Austria

Austria has numerous sculpture parks and trails. These trails are often built during events where sculptors come from various parts of Europe and the world to create together. Among these artists are numerous Lithuanians, and some of their works built in Austria are deeply connected to the Lithuanian culture, mythology, or history.

Paudorf town wooden sculptures trail includes a sculpture "Eglė, the Queen of Serpents", based on the Lithuanian myth of the same name. The trail has been created by artists from various European countries in 2002; the particular Eglė sculpture has been created by a Lithuanian artist Algimantas Sakalauskas; it is 3,47 m tall and is located at coordinates 48.353570, 15.624629.

In Großschönau there are two wooden Algimantas Sakalauskas's wooden sculptures of Perkūnas, the god of thunder who was the highest god in the Lithuanian pagan pantheon. The older one of them was erected in 2005; it is 7,2 m tall, located at 48.650859, 14.939340. The newer one was erected in 2006 together with Ignas Sakalauskas and Ričardas Grekavičius, it is 7,55 m tall.

Lithuanian monuments in Austria by Algimantas Sakalauskas. Left to right: two Perkūnas monuments and the Eglė monument.

Lithuanian monuments in Austria by Algimantas Sakalauskas. Left to right: two Perkūnas monuments and the Eglė monument.

In Friedhof Grinzing cemetery of Vienna lies buried Stasys Digrys, a Lithuanian politician and a member of the first Seimas of Lithuania (1918). He escaped Lithuania to Austria just before the Soviet re-occupation in 1944

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