Sąjūdis HQ

The importance of Sąjūdis – the Reform Movement of Lithuania – is unquestionable. The leading political organization in Lithuania’s struggle for independence in the late 1980s /early 90s was based here at Gedimino pr. 1. Sąjūdis played a key role in establishing the constitutional and legal foundation of Lithuania as we know it today. That’s not where it started, though. Even before all of that happened, Sąjūdis was still an important organization for us in the resistance.

It is important to note, however, that some dissidents did not trust Sąjūdis – for example, Antanas Terleckas believed that Sąjūdis was full of under-cover Bolsheviks (members of the Russian Social Democratic Party responsible for the October Revolution in 1917) who conspired to take over. He also criticized the party’s choice to collaborate with the Communist Party. The matter remains debatable to this day.

If you booked a visit to Sąjūdis HQ in advance, you’ll be able to learn more about it and ask all the questions that come to mind, so feel free to enter and go to the third floor. Once you’re finished and ready to go on, make sure to follow the directions on the map below, and click “continue.”

Next stop: Vilnius Cathedral (Vilniaus arkikatedra), Vilnius 01143

Established on the 3rd of June 1988, as a party of intellectuals, both communist and non-communist, with their common goal being the reinstatement of independence to Lithuania. Sąjūdis made the political choice to work within the system and not be radically for or against the Communist party. This way, they could relate to the needs of the deprived Lithuanians who just wanted their country back in their own hands, and at the same time, they could collaborate with the Communist party to get financial and legal support for some of their causes. The result being that the Communist party, usually completely unsuspectingly, would fund and support Lithuanian independence efforts.

What is less well-known is that Sąjūdis was also actively supporting democratic oppositionist groups and dissidents, connecting the democratic groups from across the entire Soviet Union right here in Vilnius! Providing partial funding, they also made it possible to print independent publications from across the whole Union. Single, hand-made drafts would arrive to the hands of Sąjūdis member Petras Vaitiekūnas, who would then return thousands of copies for distrubution.

Petras Vaitiekūnas. Photo by Jonas Petronis.

Photo by J. Vaiškūnas