Family fun: a day in the Gulag?

Jul 16, 2008
By Cori Anderson

VILNIUS - Statues of Lenin and Stalin, removed from Lithuania’s public spaces in the years following its independence from the Soviet Union, now adorn a replica Soviet prison camp in Dzukija National Park. A two-hour drive to Grutas Park, outside of Druskininkai, will take you 50 years into the past.

In the late 1990s, Viliumas Malinauskas, a millionaire Lithuanian mushroom exporter and former professional wrestler, obtained the statues from the Ministry of Culture and began constructing his sculpture park. Despite protests and controversy — the occupation remains an all-too-recent memory for many people — the park officially opened on April 1, 2001. An Ig Nobel Prize, awarded yearly for projects of questionable taste or significance, went to Malinauskas for his efforts that year.

Grutas Park, popularly known as Stalin World, can have many levels of meaning for its visitors. The original intention was tongue-in-cheek: Gulag-style trains would shuttle visitors around the park, and the restaurant would serve only gulag-style fare. The peaceful natural setting, with its stream and forests, provides a dose of irony. For the average foreign visitor with little connection to the horrific Soviet occupation of Lithuania, it is easy to spend a lazy afternoon strolling through the forest and climbing atop enormous statues of Lenin. Those who survived those years, however, are often reminded of the chilling past.

In addition to statues of Russian and Lithuanian communist leaders, indoor displays feature a variety of memorabilia. One small house represents a typical reading room, housing books filled with Soviet propaganda and communist messages. Mannequins in pioneer uniforms seem to jump out of nowhere, watchtowers line the perimeter, and loudspeakers blare party-approved music.

For the little ones, the park features a small zoo, home to a variety of exotic birds. Near the entrance is a playground equipped with (thankfully) post-Soviet-era swings and slides. While you can still find some Soviet favorites on the restaurant’s menu — sprats, a very thin borscht, and buckwheat kasha — up-scale entrees are also available. The Dzukija region is known for its mushrooms, and they star in several dishes. Don’t forget to visit the souvenir shop for a deck of propaganda-poster playing cards or a Stalin shot glass.
Grutas Park is only three kilometers from Drus-kininkai, a famous historic spa town.  On the road from the park are a few superb shashlik restaurants, offering excellent grilled meat alongside Armenian side dishes. Anything with eggplant is guaranteed to be delicious.

In Druskininkai proper, you can find countless spas to wash away the Soviet grime, some dating back to that very period. The oldest, Druskininku Gydykla, offers a bio detox in its long list of procedures. Here you can also try the waters that make the town famous (druska means salt in Lithuanian), in two levels of mineral content. Just behind the spa flows the Nemunas River, and you can find a public water fountain on its banks. For more modern entertainment, visit the indoor water park, featuring several slides and pools, with access to the saunas for an additional price.

The local favorite for dining is Sicilija, a pizzeria primarily, although the menu is quite extensive. The chicken breast with boletus mushrooms is a must-try, especially when finished off with a refreshing milkshake or a dish of ice cream with fruit. There are two locations in town, but both can fill up in the high season.
Grutas Park is 130 kilometers from Vilnius, easily reached by bus or car. It’s best in nice weather, but a grey sky will intensify the somber mood of the historic sculptures and add to the effect.

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