Places to visit

Building of Kretinga consumer company (Kretingos vartotojų bendrovė) in which the founding volunteers of the Lithuanian Army Juozas Pabrėža and Stasys Piktuižis worked and lived

The building is masonry, three-storeyed, built in 1931 in the corner of the Town Hall Square and Vytauto Street. There were shops, warehouses of Kretingos vartotojų bendrovė (Kretinga consumer company) in the building, administrative premises, temporary apartments were equipped on the top floor of the building. Currently, there is a shop of Kretingos vartotojų kooperatyvas (Kretinga consumer cooperative). There is no memorial plaque. Juozas Pabrėža was born on 1884 October 26 in Kretinga, grew up in Nasrėnai, studied in Salantai folk school. On 1919 January 1919, he became a soldier-volunteer, served in Kretinga commandant's headquarters and Kaunas commandant's headquarters, participated in battles with the Polish soldiers near Širvintos and Giedraičiai, was awarded the chief warrant officer degree. On 1920 February 1920, he retired. When he returned, he received a 12 ha parcel of land in Žvainiai village, built a homestead and a brickyard near Salantai Manor Park. In 1923, he was elected as the head of Kretingos vartotojų bendrovė (Kretinga consumer company) and the chairman of the Supervisory Board. In 1931, he built a three-storey building of the consumer company with trading rooms, warehouses and administrative premises in the corner of the Town Hall and Vilniaus Street. The consumer company run by him became the most solid Samogitian cooperative (Žemaitijos kooperatyvas) which earned considerable profits even during the period of the Great Depression in 1929-1931. He was engaged in public and political activities: he was a member of Kretinga Town Council and Kretinga County Council, a member of St. Vincent de Paulin. On 1944 October 1944, re resigned from the office of the head of the company and after several months he died. In 1928, he was awarded the Medal of Founding Volunteers of the Lithuanian Army. Stasys Piktuižis was born on 26 May 1896 in Dirgalis Village, near Grūšlaukė, Kretinga District Municipality. After he finished the folk school, he worked in his parents' farm. On 11 June 1919, he together with his brother Kazimieras became soldiers-volunteers, served in Kretinga commandant's headquarters and Kaunas commandant's headquarters. In 1921, he retired; in 1922, he joined the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union. In 1924, he was employed by Kretinga vartotojų bendrovė (Kretinga consumer company); he held the position of the head of the company since 1930. He received a 9 ha parcel of land in the land of Salantai Manor in Žvainiai which was divided into plots for his participation in the Wars of Independence. On 27 May 1941, he was arrested and imprisoned in Kretinga detention facility of the frontier brigade of the NKVD. Later on, he was moved to Kaunas Prison from which he was released on 22 June 1941 when the war started. During during German occupation period, he worked as an assistant of the burgomaster of Kretinga town. He was arrested, detained in Dimitravas Forced Labour Camp for non-compliance with the instructions of the occupation authorities. When he was released, he came back to his homeland. On 16 November 1944, he was arrested by the NKVDists, detained in Šiauliai Prison in which on 28 January 1945 he died. In 1928, he was awarded with the Medal of the Independence of Lithuania and the Medal of Founding Volunteers of the Lithuanian Army, in 1939, he was awarded with the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas of the Third Class.