Visiting Lithuania

Siauliai

Siauliai is an industrial city.

When the Soviets occupied Lithuania, they based large electronic, radio, and television factories in the city. Since independence, the presence of a huge, cheap workforce has led to the area being designated a Free Trade Zone. This has attracted foreign investment needed to keep the city afloat.

Although Siauliai is the fourth largest city in the country, it has a small town feeling with interesting bars and restaurants, bizarre statues, and a collection of museums and galleries.

Highlights include:

Hill of Crosses, a well known sacred place that is a symbol of the suffering, hope, and undefeated faith of the Lithuanians.
Photography museum dedicated to equipment and the history of taking pictures in Lithuania. Changing exhibits feature mostly Lithuanian photographers.
The cinema at Tilzes 136, one of the few Soviet relics in the city. The building is a squat, concrete pagoda, with a huge expanse of stained glass round three sides.

Travel

Siauliai can be easily reached from other cities by train or bus.

Hill of Crosses is six miles north of Siauliai.

Taxi service is one of the most convenient ways to see Hill of Crosses. Drivers will take you there, wait while you visit the site, and drive you back. Cost is minimal, but be sure to ask the cost before your trip.

Vilnius