In commemoration of the anniversary of the Lituanica tragedy, an intersection named after Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas will be opened in Myślibórz, Poland
On Sunday, in commemoration of the 88th anniversary of the aviation disaster of the airplane Lituanica and the deaths of Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, a new roundabout in Myślibórz, Poland is opened and named after S. Darius and S. Girėnas on the initiative of the local community.
On 18 July, at a solemn event in Myślibórz (formerly Soldin), with the participation of the local community, which has contributed to preserving the memory of the Lithuanian pilots, government representatives and the Ambassador of Lithuania in Poland, the intersection will be consecrated and ceremoniously opened.
On Sunday, the local community will be acknowledged by Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania Marius Skuodis.
“These pilots are an inseparable duo in Lithuanian aviation, and they are among the best known Lithuanian aviators to have crossed the Atlantic. Naming the roundabout after the pilots gives meaning to the tradition to preserve the memory of the dead by naming objects of transport infrastructure after them,” the acknowledgement of M. Skuodis to the local community of Myślibórz reads.
The Lithuanian pilots died near what is now called Pszczelnik in northwest Poland, around 3 km away from Myślibórz. At the site of their death, in Pszczelnik, a memorial has been built to commemorate the pilots.
Myślibórz has a school named after S. Darius and S. Girėnas, the community of which looks after the memorial. The community of the S. Darius and S. Girėnas school and local residents gather at the memorial each year to commemorate and honour the pilots.
Pilots S. Darius and S. Girėnas started their journey from New York to Kaunas on 15 July 1933. On 17 July, under unknown circumstances, they died in the former territory of Germany, near the town of Soldin. The flight of the Lithuanian pilots, which was carried out under complex conditions, was the first one for officially carrying air mail from the USA to Europe. According to the distance travelled without landing, which is 6411 km in 37 hours 11 minutes, it was the second accomplishment of this kind in the history of aviation. Three hours remained until the end of the flight.
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