D uring the Cold War, freedom of expression was locked down in much of Eastern Europe. But, as is human nature, the people living in these cities learned to develop a very creative underground with dissident art fed by smuggled Western ideals moving under the noses of their Communist minders. When the Iron Curtain fell, the restrained expressions overflowed. One example is the Uzupis Angel. The Uzupis district has always been an area that welcomed unconventional ideals, much like New York's Greenwich Village; Berkeley, California; or Houston's Montrose district. When the Soviet Union faded into history, the people felt they needed to erect a monument to the rebirth of their neighborhood, and freedom in the Baltics. Fund raising began in 1996, and fortunately there was a left over plinth in the central square that was vacant. It had formerly been the home to a statuesque tribute to a Communist founder, but came down along with dozens of others when Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Ten years after that independence, on 1 April, 2001 the monument was unveiled. It features an angel blowing a trumpet, her form stretching gently upward as imaginary notes leave her horn. The statue represents both freedom and independence. Just as Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Empire, so Uzupis has declared independence from Vilnius. They're only half kidding.
