Monument to Jonas Basanavičius

Vytauto Street, Palanga (beginning of J. Basanavičiaus Street) Sculptor J. Zikaras
During the interwar period, Palanga was a popular venue for various conventions and meetings.
Jonas Basanavičius was the most prominent figure in the Lithuanian national revival at the end of the 19th century, a member of the Lithuanian National Council, and a signatory of the Act of Independence of February 16, 1918. He often visited Palanga, especially after 1923. At that time, Palanga had become a popular meeting place for Lithuanian state and cultural figures during the summer. J. Basanavičius wrote the first study about Palanga, “From the History of Palanga” (1922).
In 1924, while J. Basanavičius was vacationing in Palanga, a street in the resort town was named after him, and in 2002, a monument was erected in his honor. The sculptural bust of J. Basanavičius was cast in bronze based on a plaster original. J. Basanavičius himself posed for the sculptor.