A trip is a time machine to Kaunas and Lithuania 100 years ago: what was it like in 1922? April? | Do you know?
People were as optimistic about the future as possible, so there were messages in the press at that time – from “people in Moscow” to the first basketball match in Lithuania.
Thinking about it, you think – on the one hand, that century passed quickly – Lithuanian basketball has grown by miles.
On the other hand, not so much and well … Moscow’s policies have scared and still scare the civilized world.
Of course, Kaunas residents at that time were entertained and intimidated by many other topics. Thus, the project “100 years ago”, which has been running at the Kaunas City Museum for several years, encourages the time machine to move to April 1922 and compare the life of Kaunas and the whole of Lithuania, which was then transformed into a temporary capital.
Looking at the monthly news, we can say that one of the most important, however, was about the upcoming activities of the University of Lithuania.
The publication of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union “Trimitas” wrote that on April 6. lists were published in 2006 containing the names of 503 young people entering the university.
The Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine took the lead, receiving the attention of 220 students, and the Faculty of Sociology and Rights did not lag far behind – 186. This was a great start for the University of Lithuania.
ors Lithuania and especially its capital Vilnius promise to celebrate its jubilee in 2023 and celebrate its solid 700th anniversary, in the interwar period the commemoration of the 600th anniversary of Vilnius took place in 1922.
It is true that at that time Vilnius was occupied by Poland, a long-time historical ally of Lithuania – the conflict really obscured the relations between the two countries for a long time.
It was therefore no surprise at all that on 14 April An article by Mykolas Biržiška, one of the most zealous fighters for Vilnius’ affiliation to Lithuania, signed by the nickname of Vilnius Stump, appears in the main letter of the state “Lietuva dienotojų”.
Biržai stated that “We look at Vilnius for a long time, we mention it, we talk about it, we dream about it. Vilnius cares for us, the people of today, the rising state of Lithuania, the awakened of our society“.
Here, the signatory told Poland that it did not give the opportunity to mention the spread of Polish culture in Vilnius, the important occasion of which was deliberately forgotten, not wanting to show that Vilnius was first and foremost the historical capital of Lithuania.
As well as when history really becomes history, at the moment the issue of Vilnius’ dependence no longer obscures the friendly and neighborly relations between Lithuania and Poland, and Kaunas itself has many opportunities to cooperate with Vilnius.
One of them is in 2022. The joint exhibition of Kaunas City Museum and MO Museum “Kaunas – Vilnius: Falling Down the Mountains” was opened in April.
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Unfortunately, sometimes history becomes difficult, and the present … Following the horrific events about the inhumane actions of the Russian army in Ukraine, the horrific messages from the 1922 press are not surprising.
The publication of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union “Trimitas” describes the incomprehensible horror of Easter in Moscow. April 16 A charity concert was held at the Union House for the benefit of the starving Russian people.
However, the seemingly good idea was overshadowed by the macabre choice – not only photographs of human cannibals were exhibited, from which a woman who had chopped and eaten a neighbor with an ax and other characters suitable for the most horrible fantasies of hell, even examples of salted human flesh …
Describing the same thing was most shocked not even by the facts of cannibalism, but by the indifference of visitors and the frequent confirmations of events in the Soviet Russian press:
“The audience, as it walks surprisingly coldly, watches, and then goes on to have fun, as if it were an exhibition not from these times and not from Russian life. As far as the extraordinarily rare beastliness, as well as from those pictures and descriptions exhibited in the exhibition, it is possible to be sure that in some places it is already a familiar, constantly practiced thing.
It is common to read correspondence from the province in Izviestija about similar incidents; there writes that at night you need to walk in the middle of the streets because otherwise it is dangerous for a neighbor to catch, kill, and eat.
These are things that are happening in Russia that history may not yet know; it is an absolute guilt to translate for the communists, if it does not happen, but when one hears such things, whatever the party may be, hatred will be born in the souls of those who have failed to endure those calamities. “
Indeed, reading these horrible verses, it’s hard to even add anything. One can only understand the conditions under which the “liberators” grew up in 1940 and 1944. came to occupy Lithuania and brought their own atrocities with them.
As we can see from the current war crimes against the Ukrainians, history sometimes does not become history and still lives among us.
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Gloomy thoughts are overwhelmed by sports. Those who like to do sports, I think, will definitely agree with that, and those who do not like to do it are invited to try.
100 years ago, sport in Lithuania was just taking its first steps. And here it is, taken down in seven-mile steps.
The newly launched publication Lietuvos Sport has already described the first basketball match in its fifth regular in Lithuania.
As a fan of these times, the result will probably be difficult to comprehend – the team of the Lithuanian Physical Education Union defeated the team of the Provisional Capital 8: 6 …
However, this is not surprising given that basketball was only just beginning to be played at the time and was considered more of a sport for women than for men.
Sports enthusiast Elena Garbačiauskienė already in 1921. built basketball for her husband’s workouts, Stephen was the first editor of the publication. He is also in this match.
Steponas Darius, another Lithuanian from the United States, who is well known to every compatriot, also took part in them and contributed a lot to the beginning of various sports in Lithuania. It was he who probably authored this pseudonymous article.
Since the famous pilot (as well as a sports coach and promoter) met his future wife Jaunutė Škėmaitė on the basketball court, it is not surprising that she was also interested in women’s sports.
Perhaps that is why the article expresses the disappointment that the women’s match did not take place that day:
“Basketball had to be played by women, whose spectators were really looking forward to the show, but who didn’t play today, maybe because of the late weather, cold weather, or whatever else, although they had to see them more than once during training and in even colder weather. But in any case, “Let’s think next time.”
Either way, women became even more popular than men quickly.
A new generation will later present Lithuania with more than one medal, and the sport of losing independence will often remain one of the most important pillars in order not to lose faith.
The constantly improving level after 100 years not only allows to exceed the number of earnings by ten times compared to the first match, but also to be still proud of the image of the “basketball country”.
It is no coincidence that in 2022. In April, Kaunas hosts the city of the best ranked guests from all over the basketball world to celebrate the anniversary of Lithuanian basketball.
Photo of Kaunas City Museum funds / Steponas Darius. Cover of the publication “Basketball Game (Basketball) and the Official Basketball Rules of the Lithuanian Sports League for 1926–1927”. Kaunas, 1926
So April 1922 was a rather controversial month. first of all 100 years, very and we try to shine gloomy moments with hope. It is the driving force of history that is fundamental in every epoch. It remains to be seen what May will bring …
According to the material of the project “100 years ago”, the Kaunas City Museum was prepared by dr. Simonas Jazavita