Centennial of Lithuanian Independence: The Miraculous Declaration

One of the most inspirational stories of 2017/2018 has to be that of the Miraculous Declaration. On the eve of the centennial of Lithuanian Independence, its long-lost declaration of independence is discovered buried deep within a Berlin archive, just in time for the prodigal declaration’s homecoming. Preparations were then set in motion to welcome home Lithuania’s guest of honor for the centennial celebration: an original copy of the Lithuanian Declaration of Independence signed in 1918!

It was early 2017 (99 years of Lithuanian Independence, just 1 year to go before its centennial) and the news broke that a professor named Liudas Mažylis had found Lithuania’s long-lost declaration of independence that had been smuggled out of the country during WWI. The document since that time was sitting in a German national archive, apparently one of 3 original copies that had been created, and incredibly the only surviving one.

Lithuania’s ambassador to Germany, Deividas Matulionis, remarked “we found our birth certificate” according to Reuters. You can’t phrase it any better than that!

My reaction to the sheer serendipity of it all was that Lithuania is surely blessed! You cannot write this type of script – you can’t make this up, this is the stuff of legends. It’s like the 9th inning home run, the 93rd minute goal, or the game-winning touchdown in overtime, it is something that is surely fated in the stars. Lithuania’s declaration of independence was patiently waiting all these years for its moment of historic destiny.

Here’s how it happened; It was a supreme act of national heroism, Indiana Jones style!

On March 29, 2017 news broke that an original, hand-written copy of the Lithuanian Declaration of Independence had been found in the German Foreign Ministry archives by Professor Liudas Mažylis, a chemist from Vytautas Magnas University in Kaunas.

Apparently, professor Mažylis had taken it upon himself to finally, once and for all, confirm the existence of this mythical holy grail of Lithuanian lore. He traveled from Kaunas to Berlin by bus where he had arranged access to their archives and within a few months managed to achieve a feat that would place him in the center of the international spotlight. He had found Lithuania’s original, hand-written declaration of independence, a document inscribing its national identity.

Negotiations were now in play between the German government and then-Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė to have the miraculous declaration returned home. By March 31, 2017 tensions were rising as the German government was not exactly willing to so quickly hand over one of their preeminent holdings. They were also in the process of confirming the document’s authenticity.

It wasn’t until April 2017 when diplomatic talks between the two governments began to make headway. The Berlin archives were not willing to concede a full transfer of the declaration of independence just yet; however, they agreed to a temporary transfer of the declaration to the capital city of Vilnius for public display and adoration. The agreement between the two nations cited the “possibility” of a permanent return.

April 7, 2017 was a momentous day for all Lithuanians as their historic document finally made its way home. This miraculous declaration was placed on public display at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania located in Vilnius. Professor Mažylis was there and proclaimed a national hero; he was given a heroic warrior’s welcome home with the presentation of a traditional wreath.

A few facts about the February 16, 1918 Lithuanian Declaration of Independence.

Formally, “The Act of Independence of Lithuania” (Lietuvos Valstybės atkūrimo aktas), this declaration was signed in Vilnius on February 16, 1918 by 20 representatives after a 123 year Russian occupation. Although it did not carry recognizable legal force in the eyes of other countries just yet, to the Lithuanians and other Baltic nations it encapsulated the spirit of a people and has served as its government’s cornerstone ever since.

Ironically, one of the last minute revisions of this declaration was to eliminate the mention of Germany as a political ally. This period in post-war Europe was extremely complex and volatile. Who could have foreseen that it was the German government who were to so graciously return this miraculous declaration back into Lithuanian hands over 70 years later.

The Chairman of the Council that wrote and signed the original miraculous declaration was Jonas Basanavičius. The 20 signatories of the original Act of Independence of Lithuania (Lithuanian Declaration of Independence) are as follows (the wiki link also provides pronunciations):

• Dr. Jonas Basanavičius
• Saliamonas Banaitis
• Mykolas Biržiška
• Kazys Bizauskas
• Pranas Dovydaitis
• Steponas Kairys
• Petras Klimas
• Donatas Malinauskas
• Vladas Mironas
• Stanisław Narutowicz
• Alfonsas Petrulis
• Kazimieras Steponas Šaulys
• Jurgis Šaulys
• Jokūbas Šernas
• Antanas Smetona
• Jonas Smilgevičius
• Justinas Staugaitis
• Aleksandras Stulginskis
• Jonas Vailokaitis
• Jonas Vileišis

Make sure you also read: “The Centennial of Lithuanian Independence: Who Are The Lithuanians?” right here on the Family History Foundation.

#AtkurtaiLietuvai100, #RestoredLithuania100 #Lithuania