The silent site of resistance: Hill of Crosses

The Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai, Lithuania, is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of the city. Though its origin is uncertain, it is believed that the first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort after the 1831 Uprising. Over the generations, not only crosses and crucifixes have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims, but also statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian patriots and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries.

Estimates put the number of crosses at about 55,000 in 1990 and 100,000 in 2006. It is a significant site of Catholic pilgrimage in Lithuania. However, during the Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1990, the Hill of Crosses signified the public's opposition to Soviet suppression. This contradicted the prevailing Soviet ideology of the era. Although the KGB and Soviet Army guarded the hill and apprehended anyone bringing crosses, Lithuanians continued to bring crosses every night, risking punishment.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons