Polish War Cemetery of Rasos in Vilnus

COMPLETION DATE: 2012
LOCATION: LITHUANIA

The oldest cemetery in Vilnius, Rasos Cemetery, is a burial site not only of Polish Home Army (AK) soldiers, who fell during Vilnius Uprising (in the period of 1919 – 1920 and 1939 ) and during “The Gates of Dawn” operation (in July 1944), but also for a number of distinguished Poles.  After World War II, the cemetery gradually began to decline. Constantly growing traffic on the roads around the cemetery in recent years has deepened the destruction. It was necessary to undertake maintenance works and renovation of the cemetery.

Missing pieces of stone in the most important grave, “The Mother and the Heart of her Son” Mausoleum, where Maria Piłsudska and the heart of her son, Józef Piłsudski, are buried, were repaired by inserting 10 specially fitted plugs.

Works connected with tree stand, earth works and installation of lighting have been performed. The following elements have been executed: the main stone stairs, side stairs, palisade, surfaces and decorative columns.  It has been necessary to clean 202 damaged tombstones as well as stone walls by sand blasting, followed by water proofing.

The works have included cleaning and protecting:
– 202 granite tombstones on the entire area of 919.1 m2
– external stone walls of the cemetery 100×32.5m 558.00 m2
– chapel in the cemetery wall 9.60 m2
The cemetery has regained its old charm and now it can still play its role in perpetuating the memory of the people, who are buried there.

We put our heart in stone.