Druskininkai

This resort’s status stems from its mineral springs, which have been in demand for their curative powers since the 19th century. Druskininkai is also known as the birthplace of modern sculptor Jacques Lipchitz and the home town of romantic painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis.

In recent times, a new ‘attraction’ has hit the outskirts of town. Stalin World (officially the Soviet Sculpture Garden at Grutas Park) is described by the canned mushroom mogul behind its construction as combining ‘the charms of a Disneyland with the worst of the Soviet gulag prison camp’. Druskininkai is in southern Lithuania, on the Nemunas river, not far from the border with Belarus.