Soviet artists and writers from Lithuania
When the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in 1940 and again in 1944 the Soviets obliterated old street names, statues and other reminders of the past. All that was changed by names and images of communists, both local and foreign, as well as Russian heroes.
After the Lithuanian independence was restored in 1990 a large share of old street names was restored and fallen statues rebuilt (while the communist statues were transferred to Grūtas park museum). Therefore you won’t find Lenin or Kapsukas names in public anymore. However, sometimes controversially, the names of communist pro-Soviet artists who were venerated in the Soviet Union were not removed. These people were:
Salomėja Nėris (1904-1945; 27 urban streets) a leftist poet who wrote pieces praising Joseph Stalin and supported the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. Her early non-political works are short but emotional. Other pro-Soviet poets include Julius Janonis (1896-1917; 24 urban streets) and Liudas Gira (1884-1946; 18 urban streets).
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