Latvia and the Hill of Crosses

When I arrive in Latvia, I quickly realise the pull handle on my case is well and truly stuck. What should be a 15 minute walk to my hostel turns into 45 mins as I take breaks from trying to deadlift all my luggage. When I finally get there, the first thing I do when I reach my hostel is catch a lift going back towards Lithuania.

Just across the Latvian-Lithuanian border lies the hill of crosses. The origins of the site are murky, some claim it was created to commemorate rebels lost during the Soviet and Nazi occupations in Lithuania, others claim it was a site of a miracle where a man prayed to ask for his sick daughter to recover and she did. Either way, what lies there today is thousands and thousands of crosses. Some there to commemorate people shipped off to the Gulags, never to be seen again, others to commemorate those lost in battle against occupying forces.

During the soviet era, this site became a symbol of rebellion, although the reasons for the hill and the origins remain murky, one thing is for sure- the Soviets hated this place. They bulldozed the site three times and each time it came back bigger. At the fall of the Soviet Union there were even rumours that they planned to redirect a river to flood the site and put an end to it once and for all.

Today crosses are placed in memory, but also to ask for help, health and protection. A NATO airbase lies just 10km away and each time they have new staff, they come to place a cross to ask for protection during their time here. The site has become a major catholic pilgrimage site. Even tourists are welcomed to place a cross if they wish, with merchants at the entrance selling an array of crosses and statues. I choose not to as it doesn’t feel like my place to add to. Instead I head for the Franciscan monastery that lies just beyond to grab a moment’s solitude just to myself to reflect.Read more