PAScapes researchers and interns took part in a field trip to Veliuona, Jurbarkas, and Vilkija, towns located along the Nemunas River, where they presented and discussed ongoing research on memory and landscape.
Once home to vibrant Jewish communities, these places stand at the intersection of two themes explored by PAScapes historians: the traces of the lost Jewish world and the gradual distancing of communities from the river that once shaped local life.
The sites were selected deliberately. As part of his PAScapes internship, Justas Ušinskas investigated the memory, commemoration, and representation of Jewish life and the Holocaust in Veliuona and Jurbarkas, examining how the former Jewish presence is remembered and inscribed in the contemporary landscape.
During the expedition, another PAScapes intern, Toma Stankevičiūtė, presented the results of her research on sites of memory in Alytus, contributing to broader discussions on the relationship between memory, place, and local heritage.
Many thanks to our interns, Justas and Toma, for sharing their research, and to everyone who took part in the expedition!
