In 1928, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Lithuanian Independence, the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union initiated the construction of a monument in Senosioji Varėna. At the top of the monument was a bronze figure of Vytis (the Knight). The surname Zagorsko was engraved on the horse's blanket.

In 1944, when the Soviet army occupied Lithuania for the second time, Varėna’s Soviet collaborators (stribai) used the Vytis statue as a target. Bullet holes remain in the rider’s neck, hands, and waist areas; the horse’s hooves and sword were damaged. The Soviet authorities ensured that all national symbols and inscriptions were removed from the monument, replacing the Vytis with a five-pointed star. The monument also became a burial site for fallen Red Army soldiers. Thus, the monument dedicated to Lithuanian Independence was turned into a symbol of Soviet ideology. Eventually, the monument was completely demolished.

The damaged Vytis statue was preserved for decades by the families of Aleksandras Navickas and Katrė Poškienė, as well as Balys Ožkutis. After Lithuania regained independence, the defaced statue was handed over to a museum, and the destroyed monument was rebuilt in its original location.

Source: Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights