Monument to Vydūnas

In the afternoon of September 1, 2019, in the center of Klaipėda, in the square between Bokštų and Puodžių streets, in front of the Klaipėda Technology Training Center, a bronze monument to the luminary of the region, the philosopher Vydūnas, was erected, and next to it – bronze shoes of the philosopher. The symbolic return of Vydūnas to the port city lasted for seven years. The project implementation working group: architect Petras Džervus, Ukrainian sculptors Olesis Sidaruk and Boris Krylov were represented in Klaipėda by sculptor Arūnas Sakalauskas.

The graceful sculpture of the luminary of the region was erected on the initiative of persistent and proactive townspeople, who sacrificed their work, time and personal funds for it. Seven years ago, a group of Klaipėda enthusiasts turned to entrepreneur Rimantas Cibauskas, a patron known for his generosity. He was presented with an idea for a monument to Vydūnas. It didn’t take long to convince him. The Klaipėda City Municipality, the public institution “Mažosios Lietuvos Kultūra”, and the Vydūnas Society were included in the implementation group of this idea. Thus, in Klaipėda, in the square between Bokštų and Puodžių streets, the  monument was erected. It is the first monument, dedicated to the famous figure of the culture of Lithuania Minor, in Lithuania.

Vydūnas (Storosta Vilhelmas) (1868–1953), a philosopher, writer, cultural figure, musician and a pedagogue, was born in Jonaičiai (Šilutė district), graduated from the Ragainė teachers’ seminary, where he obtained a folk teacher’s license. He taught in the schools of Kintai and Tilse, and was deepening his knowledge at German universities during his vacations. In 1896-1902 and 1913-1919, he studied philosophy, theosophy, religious studies, history of art, literature, music, English, French, and Sanskrit at the universities of Greifswald, Halle, Leipzig, and Berlin.

Vydūnas did not live in Klaipėda, but he maintained close relations with the most active cultural and public figures of Lithuania Minor, who moved from Tilse to Klaipėda after 1923; followed the activities of the growing Lithuanian societies and choirs in Klaipėda. In 1925, Vydūnas delivered art history and aesthetics lectures at the Klaipėda Music School for half a year. Many of his plays were performed on various stages of the city, and the author himself visited the productions. Many of them were directed and set by A. Brakas.

In 1928, Kaunas Vytautas the Great University awarded Vydūnas honorary doctorate, and in 1933 he became an honorary member of the Society of Lithuanian Writers.

Vydūnas wrote 12 philosophical works, more than 30 dramas with philosophical content, and historiographical works. The most important thing for Vydūnas was the rear of the nation’s moral revival. He encouraged his countrymen to be enlightened, to look for strength in the values ​​created by the nation. He was concerned with clarifying and justifying the essence of humanity, highlighting the nation’s purpose in the development of humanity and in the context of existence. The ideal of nationality was not the ultimate goal for Vydūnas, so he was alien to nationalism and chauvinism. Having a multifaceted talent, Vydūnas was also interested in the past relations of people in Lithuania Minor. His greatest work was the German-language book “Sieben Hundert Jahre Deutsch – litauischer Beziehungen” (“German-Lithuanian relations over seven centuries”) published in 1932. This book was not liked by the Hitler government because of the relations between the two nations, so it was banned and confiscated in 1934. Vydūnas was persecuted by the Nazi German authorities and was imprisoned in Tilse in 1938.After global cultural figures expressed their discontent, he was quickly released. In 1940, Vydūnas was nominated for the Nobel Prize, but the international situation prevented him from becoming its laureate. Until the second half of 1944 Vydūnas lived in Tilse. In 1945, as the front was approaching, he withdrew to Germany. Vydūnas died in Detmold (Germany) in 1953, and in 1991 his remains were transferred to Lithuania and are buried in Bitėnai cemetery.

Vydūnas became a legend while still alive. A healthy lifestyle, thoughts about a nation of free people and turn for theosophy attracted people to him. It is said that when he came to give lectures in Klaipėda, crowds of people would gather and they could not fit in the room. Then Vydūnas would go outside in front of the audience, put his hands on his chest and seem to hypnotize everyone. After regaining independence, the home libraries of many intellectuals in the country were decorated with a portrait of Vydūnas, some of them carried his small images in their wallets as if he was a saint or blessed person.

Vydūnas, who was active not only in Lithuania Minor, but also far beyond its borders, indisputably had a great influence on Lithuanian culture.

In memory of Vydūnas, a humanitarian school in Klaipėda was named after him. In 2007, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the Stasis Šimkaus conservatoire building ( 15 S. Šimkus St., where Vydūnas worked in 1925. There is a club of the Vydūnas Society in Klaipėda.