Abstract
The declaration of Lithuania as an independent republic after the First World War was a suitable period to install monuments for national heroes and to create national myths. The medieval ruler, Grand Duke Vytautas, was one of the symbols of liberated Lithuania.
The sculptor Vincas Grybas made an impressive monument to this ruler. Unveiled in 1932, the monument lasted less than 20 years; it was demolished during the Soviet era as a symbol of the 'bourgeoisie' regime.
During the perestroika period and the gradual loosening of the Soviet regime, Grybas work began to be restored. The entire process culminated on 15 July 1990 when the monument of Grand Duke Vytautas was reconstructed in Kaunas, only several months after the declaration of the independent, yet at that time unrecognised, Lithuanian Republic.