the signatories house

Contacts
Address: Pilies g. 26, LT-01123, Vilnius.
Tel. (+370 ~ 5) 231 44 37.
E-mail: signataru.namai@lnm.lt
http://www.lnm.lt/

Information for Visitor

Opening hours:
1 May – 30 September:
Tuesday – Saturday 10–17; Sunday 10–15;
1 October – 30 April:
Tuesday – Saturday 10–17 val.

Admission:
free of charge.

Exposition

The office where the Declaration of Lithuania’s Independence was signed was reconstructed to recapture the atmosphere of that time. The exposition displays a collection of photographs from the Soviet times and the issue of “Lietuvos Aidas” newspaper with the publication of the Declaration of Lithuania’s Independence on the front page. The visitors of the exposition can compare the interior of the renewed office with its remaining original photograph that was made in 1915–1919.
The exposition at the Office of Signatories recaptures the history of the Lithuanian national revival at the beginning of the 20th c and the formation of the Lithuanian State in 1918. Visitors of the exposition can find out a lot of information about the life and activities of the members of the Lithuanian Council, who signed the Declaration of the Independence of Lithuania. The exposition presents various documents, maps of Lithuania, old photographs, paintings, posters and various personal belongings of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.
The exposition is being supplemented with new relics on a regular basis. It displays the awards of the signatory Kazimieras Bizauskas, who was a diplomat during the period of the first Republic of Lithuania, and personal belongings of Jonas Vileišis, Pranas Dovydaitis and Stanislovas Narutavičius.

One of the rooms of the exposition is dedicated to the signatories Petras Klimas and Jurgis Šaulys – the diplomats of the Republic of Lithuania.
Petras Klimas and Jurgis Šaulys were close friends, who shared a great interest in the Lithuanian history, supported the left-wing politics and worked together in the Lithuanian Academic Society and in the Lithuanian Council. This room of the exposition displays a collection of photographs, documents and personal belongings of P.Klimas and J.aulys. The exposition includes the diplomatic passport of J.Šaulys, who was the first diplomat in Lithuania, a tailcoat of P.Klimas and the furniture from the Lithuanian embassy in Bern, which was purchased and presented to the exposition by Dr Vaclovas Dargužas, who resides in Switzerland.
Moreover, the exposition displays portraits of the members of the Lithuanian Council (painted by R. Žebenka), which were presented by the Club of Signatories of the Declaration of Independence of 11 March 1990.

Exposition dedicated to Jonas Basanavičius
The memorial exposition of Jonas Basanavičius, known as the patriarch of the national revival, who envisaged the pathway to Lithuania’s independence, displays an authentic collection of his personal belongings.
The visitors of the exposition can see the signboard of the reception-room and brief-case of J. Basanavičius, who spent 25 years in Bulgaria working as a doctor. The exposition also displays one of the oldest sound recorders – Edison phonograph – which was purchased by J. Basanavičius with the purpose of recording the Lithuanian folklore for future generations. Other personal belongings of J. Basanavičius, such as a sweater, a pince-nez, a hat, a wallet, a walking-stick, souvenirs, a carpet and paintings of Leščinskis depicting Bulgaria, are also displayed in this exposition.

The memorial exposition of Prof Mykolas Biržiška
The memorial room of Mykolas Biržiška, the signatory of the Declaration of Lithuania’s Independence, was opened on 22 August, 2007. The furniture and personal belongings of Mykolas Biržiška were transferred to the Museum by his grandchildren, who reside in the USA.
Prof Mykolas Biržiška – the signatory of the Declaration of Lithuania’s Independence (of 16 February), a member of the Lithuanian Council (1917–1920), one of the founders and director of the first Lithuanian Gymnasium of Vytautas the Great in Vilnius (1915–1922) professor and rector of Kaunas (1926–1927) and Vilnius (1940–1944) universities. He arrived in Vilnius in 1905 and stayed there until 1922 when he was forced to leave the city by the Polish Government after gaining the reputation of being an undesirable figure in Lithuanian society. During the years he spent in Vilnius, M. Biržiška published around 2000 publications in the Lithuanian, Polish and Russian press. Biržiška actively supported Lithuanians in their battle for national rights and defended Lithuania’s right to its capital Vilnius. Besides, Biržiška became the first chairman of the Provisional Committee of Vilnius’ Lithuanians, he was also a member of both – the Lithuanian Scholarly Society and the Lithuanian Society to Aid War Victims. It is also important to note that Biržiška was a diligent researcher of the Lithuanian literature.
In 1944 Prof Mykolas Biržiška left Lithuania and in 1949 he arrived in the USA. Despite his age and hard living conditions, the professor never ceased to participate in the public life.

The painting “Signatories” by Petras Kalpokas (1880–1945)
The painting “Signatories” by Petras Kalpokas was brought back to Lithuania from the USA.
In 1939 an international exhibition was organised in New York, which presented the works of painters from 60 different countries of the world. Lithuanian artists also displayed their works in this exhibition with the aim to present the history of Lithuania.
Painters Petras Kalpokas, Adomas Galdikas, Stasys Ušinskas and Adomas Smetona were commissioned to create monumental paintings depicting the major events of the Lithuanian history – covering the period from the baptism of Mindaugas to the Declaration of Lithuania’s Independence in 1918.
After the outbreak of the World War II, the paintings displayed in New York were not returned to Lithuania. The painting “Signatories” (by P. Kalpokas) was displayed at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington for over 20 years.

Exhibitions
The Museum organizes temporary exhibitions on the History of the Lithuanian Statehood in Modern times. These exhibitions introduce visitors to the Lithuanian national movement of 1904–1917, the activities of the Lithuanian Council and the history of the re-establishment of Lithuania’s independence in 1988–1992.

Building of Signatories’ Home
It is a historical building where the deed on restoration of the independent state of Lithuania was signed on February 16, 1918.

Photos from National Museum of Lithuania