Spring is the time for planting trees. This year, a nice action was planned – to plant 100 bushes to celebrate the centenary of the Song Festival. This tradition of planting festive trees is quite old.
A valuable gift
Two historical photographs of the Vilnius tree planting were added to the Photography collection of the Panevėžys Local History Museum. They were donated by Aldona Stalgienė from Vilnius after visiting the museum’s exhibitions. The woman was so impressed by them that she decided to give these valuable photographs inherited from her grandparents, doctor Juozas Vileišis (1895–1971) and Aldona Antanaitytė-Vileišienė (1909–2002).
Both photos are glued to green cardboard, under them in the right corner you can see the stamps of the Panevėžys branch of the society embellished for Lithuania, and the other sides of both photos are marked with the stamps of the photographer V. Dylis (Panevėžys-Smėlynė).
Vilnius oak tree in Freedom Square
The Panevėžys branch of the Society to Beautify Lithuania was founded in 1923. March 23
The Society to Beautify Lithuania organized the first Freedom Tree Planting campaign in the whole country in the same year, commemorating the fifth anniversary of Lithuania’s independence.
In 1924, in commemoration of the anniversary of the city of Vilnius, the second Vilnius tree planting campaign was organized. On that occasion, on May 1st, an oak tree was also planted in Panevėžys, in Laisvė Square.
in 1924 The first page of the newspaper “Voice of Panevėžys” on May 8 describes the Vilnius tree planting festival in Panevėžys.
It started in St. mass in the church of Ugula (current Holy Trinity).
After the mass, the city mayor Bronius Adomulis gave a short speech to the crowd gathered in Vytautas (now Independence) Square, reminding them of the significance of this day. After singing the national anthem, the whole crowd, accompanied by orchestras, went to the heart of Panevėžys – Freedom Square.
The message also states that Petrauskas, the representative of the shooters, gave a speech at the hole prepared for the tree in Vilnius.
While the orchestras were playing, representatives of the public and the government planted an oak tree and took pictures next to it. After that, the students marched to plant trees on Respublika Street, and the Social Democrats organized a rally in the theater.
Oak planters. The fourth from the left (next to the woman, with a hat) is the inspector of primary schools, Juozas Sideravičius, the tenth, with a forester’s uniform, is the forester Mykolas Konkulevičius, the eleventh (in the background, with a hat) is Fr. Jonas Grabys, twelfth grade (in the foreground) – state high school drawing teacher Pranas Giedravičius, thirteenth, in uniform, – Panevėžys district chief Vladas Rozmanas, fourteenth, in uniform, – Panevėžys district mobilization chief, Major Tadas Chodakauskas, sixteenth – city mayor Bronius Adomulis, between him and the clergyman, in the background, art teacher, sculptor Juozas Zikars, priest Povilas Paškevičius second from right, teacher, writer Matas Grigonis fourth.
Historical moments
The second page of the same newspaper “Voice of Panevėžys” announces that “St. Kazimiero and Mr. Images of the tree planting festival are already on sale in Masiulis bookstores and at the photographer Dylės Smėlynė. The board of the Panevėžys branch of the society to beautify Lithuania is selling them.
In the historical photos of V. Dylis, we can see representatives of the city government, well-known educators, priests, prominent public figures who participated in the Vilnius oak planting campaign: the city mayor Bronių Adomulis, who held this position since 1919. September 18 until 1924 November, Panevėžys district mobilization chief, Major Tadas Chodakauskas, since 1923. Vladas Rozmanas, who was the head of Panevėžys County on December 1st, elementary school inspector Juozas Sideravičius, educators Juozas Zikaras, Matas Grigonis, Pranas Giedravičius, priest Jonas Grabis, St. Stanislaus parish priest, Panevėžys dean Jonas Maciejauskas, Povila Paškevičius, since 1922. the former chairman of Panevėžys union “Pavasario”, forester Mykola Konkulevičius and others. I sincerely thank Sigita Marcinkevičiene, the manuscript researcher of the Gabrielės Petkevičaitė-Bites public library of Panevėžys county, who helped clarify both the event itself and the names of the persons captured in the photos.
To be treated in Panevėžys
It is not known how these significant photos appeared in the album of the Vileiši family.
Juozas Vileišis is a representative of the famous Vileiši family of the Pasvali region, which included booksellers and creators of Independent Lithuania, as well as scientific, political and public figures.
Doctor J. Vileišis settled in Panevėžys in 1929. He started working in the Surgery Department of the Panevėžys County Hospital and was the head of the dispensary. Later, he held the position of city doctor, and also worked at the dispensary (Kranto St.), which had just been established by the Municipality, which was supposed to provide assistance to the city’s poor. In addition to treatment services, various tests and vaccinations were performed here.
in 1934 By the decision of Panevėžys city council, Mr. Vileišis was approved as the chairman of the Sanitation Commission. Since 1929 he also had a private practice as an ear, nose and throat doctor, actively participated in professional and social activities, was a member of the Nationalist Union and the Riflemen’s Union, a member of the Panevėžys City Council.
in 1931 Juozas Vileišis married Aldona Antanaitytė, the family had a daughter Danutė and a son Algimantas, in 1934 they moved to a house built on Povila Puzina street.
Without the right to return home
in 1941 on the night of June 14, Mr. Vileišis was arrested and taken to Reshodaga (Lower Ingaš district, Krasnoyarsk district), imprisoned in the 7th camp of the Lower Poimensk division, Kansk prison (Krasnoyarsk district).
The wife and children were deported to Bobrovka (Barnaul district, Altai district), since 1946. Juozas, who was released from prison, settled here in October.
The family returned to Lithuania in 1965, settled in Marijampolė (at that time in Kapsuk), because they did not have the right to return to their home in Panevėžys, they were even forbidden to settle in big cities. After the Vileišs returned from Siberia, the relatives, who had any photos related to the family history, gave them to them as a keepsake.
While Aldona Vileišienė was still alive, daughter-in-law Nijolė Vileišienė tried to listen to her mother-in-law and write down what was recorded on each old photo.
Realizing the historical value and special significance of these two photographs for the city of Panevėžys, she offered to hand them over to the Kraštotyra Museum for safekeeping.
For that, we are sincerely grateful to her and her daughter Aldona Stalgiena, who brought us these photographs. Today, we are happy to share these unique images with the readers of the newspaper.
Tags: Centenary photographs historical event sekunde .lt
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