The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminas ( lt, Gediminaičių stulpai, ; be, Калюмны, translit=Kaliumny, 'Columns') are one of the earliest

symbols of Lithuania The national symbols of Lithuania are used in Lithuania and abroad to represent the country and its people, history, culture, and nature. These symbols are seen in official capacities, such as flags, coats of arms, postage stamps, and currency, a ...

and its historical

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in i ...

. They were used in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...

, initially as a rulers' personal insignia, a state symbol, and later as a part of

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

signs of leading aristocracy.

Appearance

The symbol appears in the following form: Horizontal line at bottom, vertical lines extend up at both ends. The square at the middle of the horizontal line is about half as tall as the vertical lines. Another vertical line rises from the top center of the square, giving an overall appearance that is close to a

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mar ...

. This form is the one usually seen in modern times, often drawn on walls and fences as protest against the

Soviet occupation of Lithuania The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were invaded and occupied in June 1940 by the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Stalin and auspices of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that had been signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet ...

. It is notable that the ancient pre-Christian symbols of Lithuania did not follow the same strict rules of heraldry as their western counterparts. Thus this symbol was used in or and

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...

, usually on the field

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

, and was depicted in various shapes on flags, banners and shields. Some Belarusian historians claim that the Columns directly go back to the symbol of the Rurikids, which was the trident.

Name

The name "Columns of

Gediminas Gediminas ( la, Gedeminne, ; – December 1341) was the king or Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death. He is credited with founding this political entity and expanding its territory which later spanned the area ranging from t ...

" was given in the 19th century by historian

Teodor Narbutt Teodor Narbutt ( lt, Teodoras Narbutas; 8 November 1784 – 27 November 1864) was a Polish–Lithuanian romantic historian and military engineer in service of the Russian Empire. He is best remembered as the author of a nine-volume Polish-langu ...

, who supposed that the symbol was Gediminas' insignia. The more exact name of the symbol is the Pillars of Gediminids, since there is no direct evidence of its connection with

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power— Ho ...

History

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

According to the historical and archaeological evidence, the Columns were used by Grand Duke of Lithuania and

Duke of Trakai Duchy of Trakai was a subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the 14th and early 15th centuries. The Duke of Trakai was an important position held either by the Grand Duke of Lithuania himself or his second-in-command. History After th ...

Kęstutis. They appear on the Lithuanian coins issued by him. The symbol was also used by

Vytautas Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...

as his personal insignia since 1397 and appeared on his seal and coins. It was suggested by historian

Edmundas Antanas Rimša Edmundas Antanas Rimša (December 15, 1948 in Skirai, Rokiškis district) is a Lithuanian historian, specialist of heraldics, sfragistics and genealogy. Biography In 1977, Rimša graduated from Vilnius University and began working at the Minist ...

, who analyzed the ancient coins, that the Columns of the Gediminids symbolizes the Gates of the

Trakai Peninsula Castle Trakai Peninsula Castle is one of the castles in Trakai, Lithuania. It is located on a peninsula between southern Lake Galvė and Lake Luka. Built around 1350–1377 by Kęstutis, Duke of Trakai, it was an important defensive structure protect ...

. According to the accounts of

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

, it was derived from a symbol or

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

used to mark horses and other property. The Columns were adopted by descendants of Kęstutis as their family symbol, equivalent to a coat of arms. Another user of the Columns of Gediminas was Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund Kęstutaitis. At first, the Columns signified the family of Kęstutis, in contrast to the Vytis which was used by

Algirdas Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his br ...

' descendants. Later on, as a symbol of a ruling dynasty, it was adopted by

Jagiellons The Jagiellonian dynasty (, pl, dynastia jagiellońska), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty ( pl, dynastia Jagiellonów), the House of Jagiellon ( pl, Dom Jagiellonów), or simply the Jagiellons ( pl, Jagiellonowie), was the name assumed by a cad ...

and the two symbols became state symbols of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Columns of Gediminas remained in use over the following centuries. File:Vytautas coin of the Principality of Smolensk (vassal state of Lithuania) 2.jpg, Grand Duke Vytautas the Great coin of the

Principality of Smolensk The Principality of Smolensk (eventually Grand Principality of Smolensk) was a Kievan Rus' lordship from the 11th to the 16th century. Until 1127, when it passed to Rostislav Mstislavich, the principality was part of the land of Kiev. The princ ...

(minted in 1399–1401) with the Columns of the Gediminids and the Ruthenian lion or leopard. File:Дынарый-Калюмны.png, Denarius of

, XV century File:Alex K Grundwald flags 1410-02.svg, Reconstruction of Vytautas' flag at the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

File:Gedimino bokštai. Columns of Gediminas. 1416.jpg, Columns of Gediminas as drawn in an

armorial A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms. The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centur ...

by a Portuguese herald in the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the r ...

in 1416 File:Coat of arms of Trakai with standing warrior and the Columns of Gediminas, 1440.jpg, Coat of arms of Trakai Voivodeship with standing warrior and the Columns of Gediminas from the Codex Bergshammar, dating to ~1435. File:Codex Bergshammar - GDL 1.png, "Vytis" in the coat of arms Codex Bergshamar, circa 1440 File:Alaksandar, Kalumny. Аляксандар, Калюмны (1506).jpg, From

Łaski's Statute Łaski's Statute(s) ( pl, Statut(y) Łaskiego, lat, Commune Incliti Poloniae regni privilegium constitutionum et indultuum publicitus decretorum approbatorumque), of 1505, was the first codification of law published in the Kingdom of Poland. Th ...

. 1506. File:Columns of Gediminas (Gedimino stulpai) from Marcin Bielski's book Kronika Polska, 1597.png, Columns of Gediminas from Marcin Bielski's book ''Kronika Polska'', 1597. File:Vytis (Waykimas) with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of Steponas Batoras in the 16th century.jpg, Vytis (Waykimas) with the Columns of Gediminas, used during the reign of the Grand Duke of Lithuania

Stephen Báthory Stephen Báthory ( hu, Báthory István; pl, Stefan Batory; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) ...

in the 16th century. File:Coat of Arms of Polotsk (XVI c.).svg, "Seal of

Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Dist ...

" on the big seal of

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Iva ...

. 16th century File:Czworak 1568 Wilno.jpg, Coin of

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

File:Aŭgust Sas, Pahonia. Аўгуст Сас, Пагоня (1738, 1883).jpg, Seal of King and Grand Duke

Augustus III Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Aug ...

, 1738 File:Kalumny. Калюмны (P. Böse, 1742).jpg, From the genealogy of the princes Radziwill, 1742 File:Kodań, Kalumny-Pahonia. Кодань, Калюмны-Пагоня (V. Griaznov, 1885).jpg, Columns from the Castle Church in Kodno (Poland), 1885 File:Lithuania Rambynas Gedimin columns.jpg, Engraving of Pillars of Gediminas on a stone on

Rambynas Rambynas is a hill on the right bank of the Neman River in Rambynas Regional Park, Pagėgiai Municipality, western Lithuania. The current hill, about above sea level and about above the Neman, is a remnant of the larger hill that was destroyed ...

hill

In the Interwar Republic of Lithuania

Independence Monument in Rokiskis (1931)

During the period between World War I and World War II they were used by the Lithuanian Republic as a minor state symbol, e. g. on

Litas The Lithuanian litas ( ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; plural ''litai'' (nominative) or ''litų'' (genitive) was the currency of Lithuania, until 1 January 2015, when it was replaced by the euro. It was divided into 100 centų (gen ...

coins and military equipment. The Columns of Gediminas are featured on the Lithuanian Presidential award Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, that was started in 1928.

In the Soviet Union

After the annexation of Lithuania by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, the symbol was officially banned. During the Singing Revolution of the late 80s, it became the iconic sign of the reform 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 ...

Modern usage in Lithuania

The Columns of Gediminas appears in the coat of arms of Seimas and in the emblems of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Land Force, Air Force, Navy, Military Police, National Defence Volunteer Forces and Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion. The Columns of Gediminas are also featured in the coat of arms of Old Trakai, Trakai District Municipality and Šimkaičiai. File:Coat of arms of the Seimas of Lithuania.svg, Coat of arms of the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendm ...

of Lithuania File:SeniejiTrakaiCOA.jpg, Coat of arms of

Old Trakai Senieji Trakai (literally: ''Old Trakai'', pl, Stare Troki) is a historic Lithuanian village located east of Trakai. According to the Lithuanian census of 2011, it has 1,396 inhabitants – Lithuanians, Poles and Russians. The Saint Petersburg� ...

. File:Coat of arms of Trakai district.png, Coat of arms of Trakai District Municipality File:Simkaičiai COA.png, Coat of arms of Šimkaičiai File:Paminklas himnui.JPG, Monument to Vincas Kudirka is topped by Columns of Gediminas File:Insignia of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.svg, By the

Lithuanian Armed Forces The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service ...

. File:Insignia of the Lithuanian Land Force.svg, By the

Lithuanian Land Force The Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF) form the backbone of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, capable of acting as an integral part of NATO forces. Lithuanian Land Forces consist of three brigades, the Engineer Battalion, and the National Defence Volunteers ...

. File:Insignia of the Lithuanian Air Force.png, By the

Lithuanian Air Force The Lithuanian Air Force or LAF ( lt, Lietuvos karinės oro pajėgos, abbreviated as ''LK KOP'') is the military aviation branch of the Lithuanian armed forces. It is formed from professional military servicemen and non-military personnel. Units ...

. File:Insignia of the Lithuanian Naval Force.svg, By the Lithuanian Naval Force. File:Insignia of the Military Police (Lithuania).jpg, By the

Lithuanian Military Police The Lithuanian Military Police ( lt, Lietuvos karo policija) is a law enforcement agency operating within the national defence system of the Republic of Lithuania and is a part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Military Police are directly subordina ...

. File:Insignia of the National Defence Volunteer Forces (Lithuania).png, By the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces. File:Insignia of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.jpg, By the

Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion The Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion () is a unit of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, whose staff it protects. It is also charged with representing Lithuania and its army by providing guard of honour at official events in Lithuania and abroad. ...

. File:Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces (reverse).png, Flag of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, reverse side. File:Flag_of_the_Lithuanian_Military_Police.jpg, Flag of the Lithuanian Military Police. File:Flag of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Force.jpg, Flag of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces. File:Flag of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion.jpg, Flag of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion. File:Joint Light Tactical Vehicles of the Lithuanian Armed Forces 2021-Aug-17 Rukla.jpg, Columns of Gediminas are widely used on Lithuanian military vehicles. The official logo of the

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 ch ...

, which took place in Lithuania, is composed of the Columns overlaid on a basketball board. The Columns of Gediminas are also the official logo of the Lithuanian postal company - Lietuvos paštas. The company uses the columns on its official stamps. A combition of Columns of Gediminas and the Menorah are used by the Litvak community as a symbol meant to identify Lithuanian Jews with content expressing the

history of the Jews in Lithuania The history of the Jews in Lithuania spans the period from the 14th century to the present day. There is still a small community in the country, as well as an extensive Lithuanian Jewish diaspora in Israel, the United States and other countrie ...

Usage in Belarus

In modern

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, the columns of Gediminas, alongside the Pahonia, are occasionally used as a symbol of

national pride Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

. The columns of Gediminas are in the coat of arms of Brahin in southeastern Belarus. The symbol is featured on the monument to the Grand Duke Gediminas in

Lida Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithu ...

. which was unveiled in 2019. Coat of Arms of Zhytomyr Oblast

Usage in Ukraine

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

, the coat of arms of

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

adopted an ancient variant of Vytis (Pohonia) on shield, which depicting the columns of Gediminas on knight's shield.

In art

The Columns of Gediminas are displayed to the left of Jogaila in one of

Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...

's best-known portraits, although Jogaila's personal insignia was a double cross. File:Jan Matejko, Bitwa pod Grunwaldem.jpg, The columns of Gediminas are displayed on the flag to the left of

Vytautas the Great Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...

References

{{reflist

Sources

Valstybė. Iliustruota Lietuvos enciklopedija
*"Gediminas' Columns". Encyclopedia Lituanica II: 293. (1970–1978). Ed. Simas Sužiedėlis. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. LCC 74–114275. National symbols of Lithuania Heraldic charges