Hill of Crosses, Lithuania
People have been placing crosses at this spot in northern Lithuania since the 14th century, and for various reasons: Throughout the medieval period, the symbols expressed a desire for Lithuanian independence. Then, after a peasant uprising in 1831, people began adding to the site in remembrance of dead rebels, and the hill became a place of defiance once again during Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1991. While the hill and crosses were bulldozed by Soviets three times, locals kept rebuilding it—there are now more than 100,000 crosses crowded together. "As the wind blows across the fields of rural Siauliai County, ornate rosaries clink against metal and wooden crucifixes, filling the air with eerie chimes," Egle Gerulaityte
