A short drive from the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania, a rather unusual monument stands as a testament to the determination and defiance of generations of people in a much-contested land. This is the Hill of Crosses: over 100,000 crosses left by people throughout the centuries as an act of resistance, cultural identity, and hope.

But what exactly is this hill a memorial to? Why was resistance necessary? What happened here?

Follow along as we find out, and explore this fascinating place!

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Sources used in this episode:

1. Lithuania.travel.com: https://www.lithuania.travel/en/place/the-hill-of-crosses#:~:text=The%20Hill%20of%20Crosses%20near,in%20his%20homilies%20and%20speeches.

2. National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/things-to-do-hill-of-crosses-religious-tourism

3. UNESCO https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/cross-crafting-and-its-symbolism-00013

4. Wikipedia: Hill of Crosses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Crosses

5. Wikipedia: Lithuania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania

6. Wikipedia: Partitions of Poland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland

7. Wikipedia: Lithuanian Cross Crafting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_cross_crafting

8. Wikipedia: Lithuanian Americans  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Americans