Dovilė Budrytė (EUROPAST / Vilnius University) (ONLINE)
The entanglement of memories of Nazism and Communism in Lithuania complicates the attempts of the state and societal groups to create a story “heroic resistance” to oppressive regimes. Memory conflicts related to these complications include the beginning of the Holocaust in Lithuania, which coincided with a “rebellion” attempting to re-establish a sovereign Lithuanian state, and the engagement of some of the anti-Soviet resistance fighters in the Holocaust. Are these complications reflected at all in the leading museums, or do these museums try to create an uncomplicated narrative about “heroic resistance”? Are there alternatives to the narratives about the armed “heroic resistance” presented in the museums? To gain insight into these questions, the author will present material representations of the two occupations (the Soviet and Nazi occupations) in two main museums in Lithuania: Kaunas IX Fort History Museum and the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius.