Monument to Counts Tyzenhauz Family

The memory of the Tyzenhauz Counts was immortalized by the “Architecture Line” team, winners of a competition announced by the Rokiškis District Municipality. The team consisted of award-winning architect Gintaras Čaikauskas and local architect Faustas Lasys. Their work, commemorating the Tyzenhauz family, was titled “The Legend” and is based on an old story in Rokiškis about a mysterious underground passage, a tunnel, connecting the manor to the church, allegedly built by the Tyzenhaus Counts.

As Rokiškis District Mayor Ramūnas Godeliauskas mentioned during the unveiling of the monument, he had delivered many speeches during his five years in office, but this was the most emotional moment. Finally, respect has been paid to the founders and patrons of the city of Rokiškis, the Tyzenhauz Counts. The mayor thanked everyone who contributed to the conception and realization of the idea. He reminded the audience that the credit for the idea goes to the public organization “The Tyzenhauz Heritage” and its former chairman Raimondas Sirgėdas, who knocked on many mayors’ doors over the years until he was finally heard. At last, the people of Rokiškis repaid their debt of gratitude to the Tyzenhauz family.

Architect G. Čaikauskas expressed his joy that Rokiškis bravely accepted the challenge of building a monument in avant-garde architecture. He compared it to an iceberg – small in size but deep in meaning and content. When the people of Rokiškis look at one of the monument’s plates, it is as if they are gazing into the past, into the mystical tunnel, seeing themselves – the creators of today’s Rokiškis.

Architect F. Lasys, who hails from Rokiškis, said that it is always a pleasure to return home, but when you can return with a gift, as in this case, it is an incomparable feeling. He thanked everyone who believed in him, G. Čaikauskas, and the entire wonderful team, and with a smile added that the that the legendary tunnel does exist – it just requires to dig a bit deeper.

The architects’ design is based on the legend of the tunnel. At the main axis of the old town’s composition is a raised triangular stone pavement slab. It resembles an open book, creating a structure that visually recalls the spire of the church, restoring the spatial composition’s balance. The open paving area is covered with a triangular glass. The underground reveals and embodies the legend of the imagined tunnel, visually creating the effect of an endless tunnel with the use of light and mirrors. The floor of the tunnel is mirrored, so as a visitor stands nearby reading the text about the Tyzenhaus family, can also see their reflection below. This emphasizes the close connection between the past and the present. The great family that once built Rokiškis is no longer here, but the city’s present and future depend on us.