FAMILY FUN: A DAY IN THE GULAG?
Cori Anderson
Baltic Times
July 17 2008
Latvia
HEROES OF YORE: Soviet era statues are now just for sightseers.
VILNIUS – Statues of Lenin and Stalin, removed from Lithuania’s public
spaces in the years following its independence from the Soviet Union,
now adorn a replica Soviet prison camp in Dzukija National Park. A
two-hour drive to Grutas Park, outside of Druskininkai, will take
you 50 years into the past.
In the late 1990s, Viliumas Malinauskas, a millionaire Lithuanian
mushroom exporter and former professional wrestler, obtained the
statues from the Ministry of Culture and began constructing his
sculpture park. Despite protests and controversy — the occupation
remains an all-too-recent memory for many people — the park officially
opened on April 1, 2001. An Ig Nobel Prize, awarded yearly for projects
of questionable taste or significance, went to Malinauskas for his
efforts that year.
Grutas Park, popularly known as Stalin World, can have many levels of
meaning for its visitors. The original intention was tongue-in-cheek:
Gulag-style trains would shuttle visitors around the park, and the
restaurant would serve only gulag-style fare. The peaceful natural
setting, with its stream and forests, provides a dose of irony. For
the average foreign visitor with little connection to the horrific
Soviet occupation of Lithuania, it is easy to spend a lazy afternoon
strolling through the forest and climbing atop enormous statues of
Lenin. Those who survived those years, however, are often reminded
of the chilling past.
In addition to statues of Russian and Lithuanian communist leaders,
indoor displays feature a variety of memorabilia. One small house
represents a typical reading room, housing books filled with Soviet
propaganda and communist messages. Mannequins in pioneer uniforms
seem to jump out of nowhere, watchtowers line the perimeter, and
loudspeakers blare party-approved music.
For the little ones, the park features a small zoo, home to a variety
of exotic birds. Near the entrance is a playground equipped with
(thankfully) post-Soviet-era swings and slides. While you can still
find some Soviet favorites on the restaurant’s menu — sprats, a
very thin borscht, and buckwheat kasha — up-scale entrees are also
available. The Dzukija region is known for its mushrooms, and they
star in several dishes. Don’t forget to visit the souvenir shop for
a deck of propaganda-poster playing cards or a Stalin shot glass.
Grutas Park is only three kilometers from Drus-kininkai, a famous
historic spa town. On the road from the park are a few superb shashlik
restaurants, offering excellent grilled meat alongside Armenian side
dishes. Anything with eggplant is guaranteed to be delicious.
In Druskininkai proper, you can find countless spas to wash
away the Soviet grime, some dating back to that very period. The
oldest, Druskininku Gydykla, offers a bio detox in its long list
of procedures. Here you can also try the waters that make the town
famous (druska means salt in Lithuanian), in two levels of mineral
content. Just behind the spa flows the Nemunas River, and you can find
a public water fountain on its banks. For more modern entertainment,
visit the indoor water park, featuring several slides and pools,
with access to the saunas for an additional price.
The local favorite for dining is Sicilija, a pizzeria primarily,
although the menu is quite extensive. The chicken breast with boletus
mushrooms is a must-try, especially when finished off with a refreshing
milkshake or a dish of ice cream with fruit. There are two locations
in town, but both can fill up in the high season.
Grutas Park is 130 kilometers from Vilnius, easily reached by bus
or car. It’s best in nice weather, but a grey sky will intensify the
somber mood of the historic sculptures and add to the effect.