On 7 June, the Council of Paris decided to call a square on the Place du Général Catroux in Paris’s 17th arrondissement, ‘Jardin de la Lituanie’ (The Garden of Lithuania). It will be the first location named after Lithuania in the French capital.
“The location for “Jardin de la Lituanie’ in the 17th arrondissement of Paris was not chosen by chance. From 1925 to 1940, a historic legation of interwar Lithuania was situated in Fournier’s residence opposite the square. Lithuania lost it after the Soviet occupation. This is a historical event because the name of Lithuania finally appears on the map of Paris”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis, who is visiting Paris.
Lithuania’s Ambassador to France Nerijus Aleksiejūnas thanked the Council of Paris, the Mayor of the 17th arrondissement Geoffroy Boulard, and the Paris Councillor Jean-Didier Berthault for this decision, saying that ‘Jardin de la Lituanie’ in Paris would stimulate Parisians and their guests to take an even greater interest in Lithuania, its history and culture.
The Place du Général Catroux is near the current Embassy of Lithuania in France. The official opening of ‘Jardin de la Lituanie’ is scheduled for 2024. Lithuanian symbols are expected to adorn the square, raising the interest of residents and guests of the French capital and promoting Lithuania’s name in this country.
Based on the press release by MFA.
