Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, the Independence Medal ( lt, Nepriklausomybės medalis) is a state medal of Lithuania, awarded for the contributions in the restoration of the independence of the state. The medal had two issues in 1928 and 2000. Both times it was issued to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Lithuania's independence.

1928 issue

The medal was issued to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the republic to persons "for

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

contributions to the re-establishment and strengthening of the independence of Lithuania in 1919–1928". It was designed by sculptor

Juozas Zikaras Juozas Zikaras (November 18, 1881 – November 10, 1944) was a Lithuanian sculptor and artist, who created the design for pre-war Lithuanian litas coins. He is considered to be one of the first professional Lithuanian sculptors. Biography He was ...

. The obverse depicts

Freedom Monument The Freedom Monument ( lv, Brīvības piemineklis, ) is located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty ...

which was unveiled in 1928 in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

and also designed by Zikaras. It depicts a winged female figure raising a flag in one hand and holding broken chains in another. The medals were manufactured by Huguenin Frères from

Le Locle Le Locle (; german: Luggli) is a Communes of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It is situated in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is the third smallest city in Switz ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It is made from

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and measures in diameter. The reverse has an inscription in all uppercase ''Per amžius / budėję-laisvę / laimėjom / per aukas ir / pasišventimą / 1918-1928'' (Through the ages on guard, we have won freedom through sacrifices and dedication 1918–1928). The ribbon has three vertical black-yellow-black stripes. The awardee categories included: *

Lithuanian book smugglers Lithuanian book smugglers or Lithuanian book carriers ( lt, knygnešys, plural: lt, knygnešiaĩ, label=none) transported Lithuanian language books printed in the Latin alphabet into Lithuanian-speaking areas of the Russian Empire, defying a ba ...

, who smuggled Lithuanian language books during the

Lithuanian press ban The Lithuanian press ban ( lt, spaudos draudimas) was a ban on all Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet in force from 1865 to 1904 within the Russian Empire, which controlled Lithuania proper at the time. Lithuanian-lan ...

(1864–1904) *participants in the Lithuanian Wars of Independence (1918–1920) *participants in the

Klaipėda Revolt The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory or ). The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from East Prussia, German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a ...

(1923) *

riflemen A rifleman is an infantry soldier armed with a rifled long gun. Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th century hand cannoneers and 17th century musketeers, the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction of the ri ...

and persons who had joined the public service in the early days of independence (1918–1919) *Knights of the

Cross of Vytis The Order of the Cross of Vytis ( lt, Vyčio Kryžiaus ordinas) is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. Hist ...

. During 1928–1940, more than 44,000 Lithuanian citizens and foreign nationals were awarded the medal.

2000 issue

The medal was awarded to persons "for distinction in the cause of restoration and consolidation of the Independent State of Lithuania during the period from 1990 to 2000". The medal is identical to the interwar medal except the dates "1918–1928" on the reverse were replaced with "1990–2000". The medal was reestablished on July 1, 2000 and awarded to 384 people. The award ceremony was held on July 6, 2000, the Statehood Day of Lithuania. It has not been awarded since. The awardee categories included: *participants of armed and unarmed resistance *volunteer militia (e.g. members of the

Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces The National Defence Volunteer Forces or NDVF ( lt, Krašto apsaugos savanorių pajėgos [], previously []) is a branch of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Volunteer forces were officially established on 17 January 1991 by the law of the Supreme Co ...

) *publishers of the ''[ hronicle of the Lithuanian Catholic Church'' *founders of the *members of the

Lithuanian Helsinki Group The Lithuanian Helsinki Group (full name: the Public Group to Promote the Implementation of the Helsinki Accords in Lithuania; lt, Helsinkio susitarimų vykdymui remti Lietuvos visuomeninė grupė) was a dissident organization active in the Lithua ...

*members of the national rebirth movement "

Sąjūdis Sąjūdis (, "Movement"), initially known as the Reform Movement of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis), is the political organisation which led the struggle for Lithuanian independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was es ...

" *members of the Reconstituent Seimas *signatories of the

Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Act of March 11 ( lt, Aktas dėl Lietuvos nepriklausomos valstybės atstatymo) was an independence declaration by Lithuania adopted on March 11, 1990, signed by all members of the S ...

References

{{reflist Orders, decorations, and medals of Lithuania