The House of Signatories, a branch of the National Museum of Lithuania, welcomes February 16th with a traditional Freedom Month program for visitors of all ages, planned until the end of March. This year, there are many events and activities that invite you to reflect anew on the twists and turns of history and to look creatively at the concept of ​​freedom. On February 16th and February 17th, The House of Signatories will be open to visitors for free. The National Emancipation Day will be celebrated on the historical balcony which is open to all visitors. 

Last year, the Freedom Month program initiated by the National Museum of Lithuania, which invited Vilnius residents and guests of the city to celebrate freedom together, attracted a great amount of interest. The historic balcony of the House of Signatories, which is open to the public, was also heavily visited. This year, this branch of the National Museum of Lithuania, using relevant and interesting forms of storytelling, invites visitors of all ages to actively engage in discussions and various activities, the program is available from February 16th to March 26th. 

On the Day of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania – February 16th at 2 p.m. Vytautas Landsbergis, the first leader of the restored independent state of Lithuania, will address the nation from the balcony of the House of Signatories. As in every year, this event will be broadcast live by LRT television (with sign language translation) and LRT radio. 

February 17th at 12:00 p.m. a greeting will be heard from the balcony of the House of Signatories on National Emancipation Day – this day has been officially established in the calendar of memorable days important to the state from this year onwards. The origins of this significant date for our country dates to 1918, when, after the declaration of independence on February 17th a women’s protest took place in Kaunas, in which dissatisfaction was expressed that not a single woman was included in the Council of Lithuania, which announced the Declaration of Independence. 

“We are happy that the month of Freedom has been announced – connecting February 16th and March 11th, it reminds us that we are all part of the state together, and the historic balcony of the Signatories’ House is open to everyone who creates and nurtures a bright future for Lithuania,” says the director of the Lithuanian National Museum, Dr. Rūta Kačkutė. 

During the month of freedom, the House of Signatories will invite you to the newly prepared permanent exhibition of the museum, reflecting on the story “The Idea of ​​February 16”. Here it will be possible to discover the connection between February 16th and February 17th, to get to know the society of that time, whose members, regardless of social status, profession, nationality, gender, and political views were in the process of creating an independent Lithuanian state together. 

In the Freedom Month program of the House of Signatories, special attention is paid to the 1949 resolution of the Freedom Struggle Council of Lithuania published 75 years ago. On this occasion, the museum will offer to try the interactive activity “Font of Freedom”, intended for adults, whose participants will be able to look at the guerrilla war from a slightly different perspective than usual, dive into the inner workings of the freedom fighters, get acquainted with the combination of algorithms used by them to encode messages and decipher ciphertexts. 

February 16th and March 11th are important dates in the Freedom Month program – it is a great opportunity to reflect on the idea of ​​the nation’s freedom and the state by delving into the historical contexts of the time. The series of talks with creators and intellectuals “The Pursuit of Freedom” will invite you to look at our modern history through different forms of cultural, political, and social liberation. 

During Freedom Month event, creative workshops are planned for young visitors who dream of becoming creators of Lithuania’s future. There will also be tours of the soon-to-be-opened exhibition “The Quest for Freedom as a Game-Event”, which explores the idea of ​​freedom through Fluxus art. 

Month of Freedom program: press here.