The German government’s request to preserve the remains of a World War II partisan fortress, located within the area planned for a new German military base, has been declined by Lithuania. This site, situated in the Rūdninkai forest south of Vilnius, was the location of a fortress where Jewish individuals who escaped the Wilna ghetto reportedly hid and fought alongside Soviet partisans against German occupying forces.
In December 2025, Berlin had strongly advocated for the preservation of the former partisan camp in Rūdninkai as a place of remembrance and learning. The German government had asked the Lithuanian authorities to review the site’s protective value and include it in the further planning process. However, the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture considers the partisan camp lacking any protective status.
According to the ministry’s statement to “Spiegel”, the structures were rebuilt for Soviet-era propaganda purposes and therefore lack authenticity. Because they qualify as propaganda structures, the historical site is subject to Lithuanian laws prohibiting the promotion of “totalitarian and authoritarian regimes and their ideology,” meaning the site could potentially be demolished as public property. The authority further notes that from their perspective, the Jewish partisans are considered part of the Soviet armed forces battling Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1945, and their activities are evaluated as hostile towards the Lithuanian statehood.
