In 1845, a cast-iron obelisk measuring 11.1m in height and with a stepped base (measuring 4.28 x 4.28m) was erected to commemorate the construction of the Daugavpils to Kaunas highway (part of the St Petersburg to Warsaw postal route). The front of the obelisk had a metal plaque on it with inscriptions in Russian and the coat of arms of the Russian empire. The monument was intended to commemorate the 193-verst road from Kaunas to Daugavpils, which had been built in 1836 by order of Czar Nicholas I of Russia. It was designed by Piotr Steinkeler. In 1932, the monument was repainted, and the coat of arms and the monument plaques were removed. They were replaced by a metal ‘Vytis’ and metal plaques with inscriptions of their own. In 1941, the Vytis and panels were removed by order of the Soviet authorities. In 1961, a composition which was made from stainless steel strips was attached to the obelisk. These depicted a man ascending into space. In 1987 that too was removed and a plaque which contained an inscription both in Lithuanian and Russian was added to the obelisk, saying: ‘Kaunas-Daugavpils road built in 1836’.