Monument to Balys Sruoga

The gray stone bust reminds of one of the most famous people of the 20th century who walked the paths of Birštonas. Lithuanian writers - Bali Sruogas. It is interesting that the height of the bust is the same as the height of the writer - 190 cm. In 1997, he created by sculptor Giedrius Plechavičius.
In the square, next to the monument surrounded by trees, poetry readings are held, up to 20 people can sit here.
The writer found himself in the resort in 1945. in July, just after the end of World War II. Having survived a two-year nightmare in the Štuthof concentration camp, the professor came to Birštonas in poor health, while his wife, historian Vanda Daugirdaitė-Sruogienė, and their daughter Dalia stayed in the West.
The "White Villa", where B. Sruoga tried to regain his spiritual and physical strength, no longer exists, but during his three months at the resort, his memories, imbued with irony, turned into one of the most famous works of Lithuanian literature of all time - the memoir "The Forest of the Gods". Unfortunately, the content of the book was not liked by the Soviet censors, because it did not condemn the German fascists and exalted the heroism of the Soviets. Much "revised", it was published for the first time only a decade after B. Sruoga's death in 1957. The novel tells about the lack of humanity, there is no lack of black humor, which, perhaps, helped not to break the mass extermination of people in the factory. It is interesting that even while working as a clerk in a concentration camp, B. Sruoga created several comedies.
In Biršton, instead of resting, Balys Sruoga wrote for 10-12 hours every day. Here he also met his muse - doctor Aldona Daugėlaitė, who probably secretly supplied bandages to the Lithuanian partisans. Perhaps the collection of poetry "Giesmės vyšnelei žudriajai" created in Biršton together with the "Miškis of the Gods" is dedicated to her.

The bust of Bali Sruoga was built in 1997. on October 16, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the writer's death, in the old park of Birštonas, in the half-circle of twelve limes made of gray stone - granite.