Petras Vileišis
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Petras Vileišis (25 January 1851 – 12 August 1926) was a prominent
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 ...
n engineer specializing in the construction of railroad bridges. He was very active in Lithuanian public life and together with his brothers
Jonas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...
and
Antanas Antanas is a Lithuanian masculine given name derived from Antonius that is equivalent to Anthony in Lithuania. It may refer to: * Antanas Andrijauskas (born 1948), Lithuanian philosopher *Antanas Bagdonavičius (born 1938), Lithuanian rower and Ol ...
became one of the key figures of the
Lithuanian National Revival The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism ( lt, Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuanian ...
. He studied mathematics at
St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter t ...
and railroad construction at the Emperor Alexander I Institute of Transport Engineers. For about two decades, Vileišis designed and constructed various railroad bridges across the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
amassing a substantial personal fortune. In 1899, he returned to Lithuania and settled in Vilnius where he built
Vileišis Palace Vileišis Palace is a Neo-baroque style architectural ensemble in Vilnius, Lithuania, built for Petras Vileišis. Vileišis was a prominent Lithuanian engineer, political activist, publisher, and philanthropist who commissioned the palace in 19 ...
and established the first
Lithuanian-language Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic languages, Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the Europ ...
daily newspaper ''
Vilniaus žinios ''Vilniaus žinios'' (literally: ''Vilnius news'') was a short-lived newspaper published in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was the first legal Lithuanian-language daily newspaper to appear after the Lithuanian press ban was lifted on May 7, 1904. Histo ...
'' as well as a Lithuanian printing press, bookstore, and ironwork factory which later became Vilija. None of these activities were profitable and by 1908 he had exhausted his savings. He then returned to Russia to work on railway bridges for another decade. After World War I, Vileišis returned to now independent Lithuania in 1921 and briefly served as the
Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
in the government of Prime Minister
Ernestas Galvanauskas Ernestas Galvanauskas (20 November 1882 – 24 July 1967) was a Lithuanian engineer, politician and one of the founders of the Peasant Union (which later merged with the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union). He also served twice as Prime Minis ...
. Vileišis died suddenly while on vacation in
Palanga Palanga (; bat-smg, Palonga; pl, Połąga; german: Polangen) is a seaside resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Palanga is the busiest summer resort in Lithuania and has sandy beaches (18 km, 11 miles long ...
in 1926. Vileišis was very active in Lithuanian public life. Already as a student, he published a handwritten four-page newsletter ''
Kalvis melagis ''Kalvis melagis'' (original spelling ''Kalwis-Miałagis''; ) was a Lithuanian-language periodical published by Petras Vileišis and other Lithuanian students in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, in 1875–1876. Lithuanian publications were banned ...
'' which is the first known Lithuanian periodical in the Russian Empire. Due to an error by the state censors, he managed to get approvals to publish four Lithuanian booklets despite the Lithuanian press ban. When the censorship office caught on the error, Vileišis published at least 55 books in
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
and United States that were smuggled into Lithuania. Most of these books were educational texts for the common people. He also continuously petitioned and lobbied various Russian officials, including
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
Sergei Witte Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte (; ), also known as Sergius Witte, was a Russian statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Russian Empire, replacing the tsar as head of the government. Neither a liberal nor a conservative, he attract ...
and
Governor-General of Vilnius Vilna Governorate-General, known as Lithuania Governorate-General (russian: Литовское генерал-губернаторство, li, Vilniaus generalgubernatorija) before 1830, was a Governorate-General (Russian Empire), Governorate-Ge ...
Pyotr Sviatopolk-Mirsky Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Svyatopolk-Mirsky (russian: Пётр Дми́триевич Святопо́лк-Ми́рский, tr. ; , in Vladikavkaz – , in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian general, politician, and police official. ...
, to get the press ban lifted. His brother Jonas even claimed that Vileišis spent considerable sums in bribing Russian officials to get the ban lifted in 1904. When the ban was lifted, Vileišis hurried to establish the daily newspaper ''
Vilniaus žinios ''Vilniaus žinios'' (literally: ''Vilnius news'') was a short-lived newspaper published in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was the first legal Lithuanian-language daily newspaper to appear after the Lithuanian press ban was lifted on May 7, 1904. Histo ...
'' and a Lithuanian printing press. The newspaper's staff was instrumental in organizing the
Great Seimas of Vilnius The Great Seimas of Vilnius ( lt, Didysis Vilniaus Seimas, also known as the ''Great Assembly of Vilnius'', the ''Grand Diet of Vilnius'', or the ''Great Diet of Vilnius'') was a major assembly held on December 4 and 5, 1905 (November 21–22, 19 ...
in 1905. Vileišis also supported other Lithuanian activities, including the
first exhibition of Lithuanian art The Lithuanian Art Society ( lt, Lietuvių dailės draugija) was a society that organized Lithuanians, Lithuanian art exhibitions and supported List of Lithuanian artists, Lithuanian artists. Based in Vilnius (then part of the Russian Empire), it ...
which was hosted at his house.


Biography


Education

Vileišis was born on in the village of near
Pasvalys Pasvalys () is a town in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River. History In 1557, the Treaty of Pasvalys was signed in the town, which provoked Ivan IV of Russia to start the Livonian War. Pasvalys has mineral s ...
into a family of Lithuanian royal peasants who were free of
serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...
. According to family history, they owned one volok of land and frequently traveled to
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
to sell flax, grain, fruits. Vileišis was the eldest of eleven children, but only six sons and two daughters reached adulthood. All sons received education; Petras became an engineer, Anupras assistant to Petras,
Antanas Antanas is a Lithuanian masculine given name derived from Antonius that is equivalent to Anthony in Lithuania. It may refer to: * Antanas Andrijauskas (born 1948), Lithuanian philosopher *Antanas Bagdonavičius (born 1938), Lithuanian rower and Ol ...
a doctor, Juozas a Catholic priest,
Jonas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...
a lawyer, and Kazimieras inherited the family farm. Vileišis family hired a tutor () who prepared Petras for Panevėžys Gymnasium. However, the gymnasium was closed after the
Uprising of 1863 The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...
and Vileišis enrolled into the Šiauliai Gymnasium in January 1866. He was a gifted student, particularly in math, and took additional private lessons in French and German. After the uprising, the gymnasium implemented various
Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
policies, but according to future playwright Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis who studied at the gymnasium at the same time it was Vileišis who encouraged him to speak Lithuanian. According to the memoirs of his brother Jonas, Vileišis would rather use a French prayer book than a Lithuanian prayer book printed in the
Cyrillic script The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic languages, Slavic, Turkic languages, Turkic, Mongolic languages, ...
. He graduated in 1870 with a golden medal for academic excellence. Vileišis was then admitted to the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of
St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter t ...
but only as an
audit student In academia, an audit is an educational term for the completion of a course of study for which no assessment of the performance of the student is made nor grade (education), grade awarded.
. He became a full student in the second year. His tuition fees were waived and he received several stipends. Unlike many students, it appears that Vileišis did not struggle financially and made a decent living tutoring others. After graduation in 1874, he applied for a job as a gymnasium teacher position but was rejected because of his Roman Catholic faith (various
Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
policies discriminated against Catholics who were deemed to be unreliable after the Uprising of 1863). Vileišis earned a living as a freelance tutor and translator. Vileišis knew several foreign languages, including Greek, Latin, French, German, English, in addition to "local" languages of Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish. After two years of such living, in August 1876, Vileišis was admitted to the Emperor Alexander I Institute of Transport Engineers. At the time, Russian Empire was investing into its railway network and the diploma promised a well paying engineering job. Vileišis chose the specialty of building caissons used to work on the foundations of a bridge pier. He graduated with distinction in 1881 and was assigned as assistant to the director of the .


Bridge engineer

In May 1882, Vileišis was sent to work on the railway drawbridge across the
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
in
Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
. A year later, he was reassigned to work on the
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
Rivne Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...
line of the . As part of this assignment, he was sent to Belgium to inspect rails and other metal products that were ordered for the construction of the railroad. He found almost half of the product to be inadequate and spent about eight months arranging replacements in Belgium and England. This gave him time to travel, including to France. Over three years, Vileišis oversaw completion of about of railway and construction of a bridge across the
Pripyat Pripyat ( ; russian: При́пять), also known as Prypiat ( uk, При́пʼять, , ), is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. Named after the nearby river, Pripyat, it was founded on 4 February 1 ...
. In March 1885, he was transferred to work on the
Samara Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...
Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...
line of the
Kuybyshev Railway The Kuybyshevskaya Railway (Ку́йбышевская желе́зная доро́га) is a subsidiary of the Russian Railways operating in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Mordovia, Ryazan Oblast, Penza, Tambov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Orenburg, and C ...
and build the Ufa Rail Bridge across the Belaya. The bridge spanned and was completed by the end of 1888. For this achievement, Vileišis was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus (3rd class). In May 1889, he moved to work on the Ufa–
Zlatoust Zlatoust ( rus, Златоуст, p=zlətɐˈust) is a city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Ay River (in the Kama basin), west of Chelyabinsk. Population: 181,000 (1971); 161,000 (1959); 99,000 (1939); 48,000 (1926); 21,000 (19 ...
line. At the time, his annual salary was 3,360 Russian rubles, which was a huge sum. Vileišis received an offer to work for the Moscow–Ryazan Railway Association at an annual salary of 6,000 rubles and left his government job at the in July 1891. He directed the construction of the
Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...
Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
section and built bridges across the Pronya,
Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
,
Oka Oka or OKA may refer to: Cars * Oka (automobile), a small car designed by AvtoVAZ and produced by ZMA and SeAZ * OKA 4wd, a large 4-wheel-drive vehicle made in Western Australia by OKA Military * 2B1 Oka, Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mor ...
,
Sura A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...
, Kazanka. After the completion of this line in 1893, Vileišis again was employed by the Ministry of Railways but not as a full-time employee but a contractor from early 1894 to April 1896. He left the ministry as a court councillor. He then worked as contractor for various private railways and information about his activities is fragmentary. He worked on bridges for the
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
line as well as numerous bridges, including across the
Narew The Narew (; be, Нараў, translit=Naraŭ; or ; Sudovian: ''Naura''; Old German: ''Nare''; uk, Нарва, translit=Narva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland, which is also a tributary of the river Vis ...
near
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, Donets near
Luhansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...
and
Lysychansk Lysychansk ( uk, Лисича́нськ ; russian: Лисича́нск ) is a city in the Sievierodonetsk Raion of the Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine. Prior to 2020 municipal classification reforms, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significa ...
,
Daugava , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...
in
Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...
and near
Jēkabpils Jēkabpils (; german: Jakobstadt; pl, Jakubów) is a state city in Jēkabpils Municipality in southeastern Latvia roughly halfway between Riga and Daugavpils and spanning the Daugava River. Historic Jēkabpils lies on the left bank, in Selonia ...
,
Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...
near
Zhlobin Zhlobin ( be, Жло́бін; russian: Жло́бин, pl, Żłobin, lt, Žlobinas) is a city in the Zhlobin District of Gomel Region, Belarus, located on the Dnieper river. As of 2017, the population was 76,078. The city is notable for being ...
,
Lielupe The Lielupe ( in Latvian literally: ''Large River'', lt, Lielupė, german: Kurländische Aa) is a river in central Latvia. Its length is (the length would reach if the Mēmele River were counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area o ...
in
Jelgava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Du ...
. According to
Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, pl, Jan Basanowicz; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often give ...
, Vileišis also worked on the Green Bridge in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
(completed in 1894) but there is no documentary evidence to support the claim. While profitable, his railroad career led to a nomadic lifestyle as he had to frequently relocate to be closer to the construction sites. He returned to Lithuania in 1899 and settled in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. Vileišis then worked less on railroad matters as most of the work was handled by his brother Anupras. The brothers worked on the reconstruction of a bridge across the Volkov in
Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
in 1901 and construction of a section of the in 1902–1906.


Attempts at legal publications

While a student in Saint Petersburg, Vileišis was a member of an informal group of Lithuanian students that used to gather in the apartments of graf Vladimir Zubov. Vileišis and the group established the Lithuanian-language newsletter ''
Kalvis melagis ''Kalvis melagis'' (original spelling ''Kalwis-Miałagis''; ) was a Lithuanian-language periodical published by Petras Vileišis and other Lithuanian students in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, in 1875–1876. Lithuanian publications were banned ...
'' (Smith the Liar) in violation of the Lithuanian press ban. It was a primitive 4-page publication – handwritten and then
mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a copy made by the pro ...
ed in secret. While only about ten issues appeared between December 1875 and March 1876, it was the first known Lithuanian periodical published in the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. Encouraged by the experience with ''Kalvis melagis'', Vileišis started writing and publishing separate booklets. In 1875, Vileišis wrote a 47-page popular science work on earth and weather which was approved by the state censor and 2,000 copies were published next year. Before the censors discovered their error, Vileišis hurried to complete two other booklets based his writings in ''Kalvis melagis''. They were approved in May and September 1876. In 1877, he published another booklet about the life of
George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
, pioneer of rail transport, and
industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
in England. He prepared many other educational and
didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...
booklets, including a prayer book, for the common village folk but the state censors rejected all of them due to the Lithuanian press ban. Vileišis was persistent and kept petitioning state censors and other Tsarist officials. His arguments ranged from narrow technicalities (that the
Lithuanian alphabet Lithuanian orthography employs a Latin-script alphabet of 32 letters, two of which denote sounds not native to the Lithuanian language. Additionally, it uses five digraphs. Alphabet Today, the Lithuanian alphabet consists of 32 letters. It featu ...
was different from the prohibited Latin–Polish alphabet) to broad policy reasons that the Lithuanian press ban was harmful and should be lifted. He also planned to send a Lithuanian delegation to the new
Tsar Alexander III Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...
. In March 1883, Vileišis received one final rejection of his petitions to publish Lithuanian texts in Russia. When his job took him to Moscow, Vileišis met several Lithuanian students, including
Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, pl, Jan Basanowicz; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often give ...
,
Jonas Šliūpas Jonas Šliūpas (6 March 1861 – 6 November 1944) was a prominent and prolific Lithuanian activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. For 35 years, he lived in the United States working to build national consciousness of Lithuanian America ...
,
Jonas Jablonskis Jonas Jablonskis (; 30 December 1860, in Kubilėliai, Šakiai district – 23 February 1930, in Kaunas) was a distinguished Lithuanian linguist and one of the founders of the standard Lithuanian language. He used the pseudonym ''Rygiškių Jon ...
, . In 1880, together with Šliūpas, he prepared a project for the Lithuanian Philological Society (a
learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...
similar to the Lithuanian Literary Society in the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
) and enlisted support from several linguists and university professors, including
Vsevolod Miller Vsevolod Fyodorovich Miller (russian: Все́волод Фёдорович Ми́ллер) (7 April ( N.S. 19 April) 1848, Moscow – 5 November (N.S. 18 November) 1913, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian philologist, folklorist, linguist, anthropo ...
,
Fyodor Korsh The Russian Drama Korsh Theatre (russian: Русский драматический театр Корша), commonly known as the Korsh Theatre, was a theatre which functioned in Moscow, Imperial Russia from 1882 until 1917. It was named after i ...
,
Vatroslav Jagić Vatroslav Jagić (; July 6, 1838 – August 5, 1923) was a Croatian scholar of Slavic studies in the second half of the 19th century. Life Jagić was born in Varaždin (then known by its German name of ''Warasdin''), where he attended the el ...
,
Filipp Fortunatov Filipp Fyodorovich Fortunatov ( rus, Фили́пп Фёдорович Фортуна́тов; – ) was a Russian philologist, Indo-Europeanist and Slavist, best known for establishing the Fortunatov–de Saussure law. Biography Fortunatov wa ...
,
Yakov Grot Yakov Karlovich Grot (russian: link=no, Я́ков Ка́рлович Грот) ( – ) was a nineteenth-century Russian philologist of German extraction who worked at the University of Helsinki. Grot was a graduate of the Tsarskoye Selo Ly ...
. However, the Tsarist officials did not approve the society. In 1892, Lithuanians succeeded in establishing the Lithuanian and Samogitian Charitable Society in Saint Petersburg to provide assistance to Lithuanian students and organize Lithuanian cultural evenings. Vileišis was an active member and briefly became its chairman in 1894–1895.


Illegal Lithuanian publications

After failing to persuade the Tsarist officials to allow Lithuanian publications, Vileišis turned to printing various educational texts abroad. According to studies of
Vaclovas Biržiška Vaclovas Biržiška (2 December 1884 – 3 January 1956) was a Lithuanian attorney, bibliographer, and educator. He was a member of a notable Lithuanian family; his great-grandfather Mykolas Biržiška was a representative in the Sejm when the Co ...
, in total Vileišis published 59 books: four in Saint Petersburg, five in United States, and 50 in
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
. Vileišis in his memoir later wrote that he authored about 25 books himself, and others were commissions financed by him. It is difficult to determine the accurate number because these booklets were published under various pen names to confuse the Tsarist police. Many of these texts were published by
Martynas Jankus Martynas Jankus or Martin Jankus (7 August 1858 in Bittehnen (Lit.: Bitėnai), near Ragnit – 23 May 1946 in Flensburg, Germany, reburied in Bitėnai cemetery on 30 May 1993) was a Prussian-Lithuanian printer, social activist and publisher in ...
in Bitėnai or by Otto von Mauderode in
Tilsit Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit; Old Prussian: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania. Geography Sov ...
and then smuggled into Lithuania. Most booklets had 2,000 copies published, and many saw additional editions. Vileišis made no money from the publications – he paid for the printing costs and then often gifted the printed books to the publishers for free. For commissioned works (mainly translations), Vileišis paid substantial commissions thus in a way subsidizing many poor Lithuanian students studying in Russia. In addition, Vileišis supported Lithuanian periodicals, including ''
Aušra ''Aušra'' or ''Auszra'' (literally: ''dawn'') was the first national Lithuanian newspaper. The first issue was published in 1883, in Ragnit, East Prussia, Germany (newspaper credited it as lt, Ragainė) East Prussia's ethnolinguistic part - ...
'', ''
Varpas ''Varpas'' (literally: ''The Bell'') was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905. Because its publication was illegal in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, it wa ...
'', ''Garsas'', ''Nemuno sargas'', both financially and by contributing articles for publication. Vileišis persisted in his efforts to find legal ways to bypass or abolish the Lithuanian press ban. He petitioned the Supreme Press Board in 1889 and 1896. Refused, he changed the tactics and petitioned the government ministers. He petitioned
Ivan Goremykin Ivan Logginovich Goremykin (russian: Ива́н Лóггинович Горемы́кин, Iván Lógginovich Goremýkin) (8 November 183924 December 1917) was a Russian politician who served as the prime minister of the Russian Empire in 1906 a ...
,
Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
, in 1897 and
Sergei Witte Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte (; ), also known as Sergius Witte, was a Russian statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Russian Empire, replacing the tsar as head of the government. Neither a liberal nor a conservative, he attract ...
,
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
, in 1900. Witte was receptive to Vileišis petition and inquired with
Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
but was refused. Vileišis petitioned the Ministry of Internal Affairs again in December 1901. This time, he learned that the issue of the Lithuanian press ban was discussed and was waiting to be referred to the Council of Ministers. Vileišis then hurried to petition Witte again. Vileišis also influenced
Pyotr Sviatopolk-Mirsky Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Svyatopolk-Mirsky (russian: Пётр Дми́триевич Святопо́лк-Ми́рский, tr. ; , in Vladikavkaz – , in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian general, politician, and police official. ...
, the new
Governor-General of Vilnius Vilna Governorate-General, known as Lithuania Governorate-General (russian: Литовское генерал-губернаторство, li, Vilniaus generalgubernatorija) before 1830, was a Governorate-General (Russian Empire), Governorate-Ge ...
, who wrote to
Vyacheslav von Plehve Vyacheslav Konstantinovich von Plehve ( rus, Вячесла́в (Wenzel (Славик)) из Плевны Константи́нович фон Пле́ве, p=vʲɪtɕɪˈslaf fɐn ˈplʲevʲɪ; – ) served as a director of Imperial Russ ...
, Minister of the Interior, arguing that the press ban should be lifted. Sviatopolk-Mirsky then further published an anti-ban memorandum, using information provided by Vileišis, and distributed it to various Tsarist institutions. Vileišis petitioned von Plehve two more times until the press ban was finally lifted in May 1904. Several Lithuanian authors, including Vileišis' brother Juozas, claimed that to get the press ban lifted, he bribed Russian officials and spent more than 30,000 Russian rubles. Therefore, the press freedom was not as much "won" as "bought". Vileišis denied these allegations.


Life in Vilnius

In 1899, Vileišis semi-retired from the railroad construction and moved to
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. His savings were at least 830,000 Russian rubles. His wealth made him a prominent citizen of Vilnius and was elected to the city
duma A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
in 1901–1905. He was friends with many nobles and government officials, including the
Governor-General of Vilnius Vilna Governorate-General, known as Lithuania Governorate-General (russian: Литовское генерал-губернаторство, li, Vilniaus generalgubernatorija) before 1830, was a Governorate-General (Russian Empire), Governorate-Ge ...
. He used his wealth to finance Lithuanian activities and to build his palatial home, known as the
Vileišis Palace Vileišis Palace is a Neo-baroque style architectural ensemble in Vilnius, Lithuania, built for Petras Vileišis. Vileišis was a prominent Lithuanian engineer, political activist, publisher, and philanthropist who commissioned the palace in 19 ...
, in
Antakalnis Antakalnis (''literally'' lt, 'the place on hills', adapted in pl, Antokol) is an eldership in the Vilnius city municipality, Lithuania. Antakalnis is one of the oldest, and largest historical suburbs of Vilnius City. It is in the eastern s ...
suburb. The palace was designed by
August Klein August Klein (1870-1913) was an architect of Germany, German origin, who worked in Vilnius. from 1891 till 1896 studied in Saint Petersburg. Among his prominent works are Vileišis Palace, completed in 1906, and Church of the Exaltation of the Ho ...
in
Neo-Baroque style The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...
and, according to
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, univers ...
, cost some 250,000 Russian rubles. Vileišis also established an ironwork factory near the
Vilnius Railway Station Vilnius Railway Station ( lt, Vilniaus geležinkelio stotis) is a Lithuanian Railways passenger station in Vilnius, Lithuania. The railway station situates between two neighbourhoods of Vilnius - Naujininkai and Naujamiestis and on the edge of ...
(present-day Paneriai Street). It produced various industrial items (cisterns, caissons, parts for iron bridges,
railroad switch A railroad switch (), turnout, or ''set ofpoints () is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off. The most common ty ...
es, etc.) and smaller consumer products (fences, memorial crosses, lanterns, etc.). Majority of its business came from Russian government contracts. Larger projects included parts for a bridge across the
Snov The Snov (; ) is a river in Bryansk Oblast in Russia and Chernihiv Oblast in Ukraine, right tributary of the Desna River (Dnieper basin). The length of the river is 253 km. The area of its drainage basin is 8,700 km2.Libau–Romny Railway Libau–Romny Railway was a railway company that built a railway line in the Russian Empire in 1871–74 to connect Romny in Ukraine with the port in Libau (Liepāja) in present-day Latvia. To do so it passed through Minsk The objective of the r ...
, bridges along the road
Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...
Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...
and railroad
Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
Masty. Its larger projects in Vilnius included the metal framework for the , parts for the Žvėrynas Bridge, and decorative elements for the
Vileišis Palace Vileišis Palace is a Neo-baroque style architectural ensemble in Vilnius, Lithuania, built for Petras Vileišis. Vileišis was a prominent Lithuanian engineer, political activist, publisher, and philanthropist who commissioned the palace in 19 ...
. The factory employed some 120–150 workers who were almost exclusively Lithuanian even though many of them had no technical education or experience. It was a way to increase the number of Lithuanians in the city. Reportedly, the factory was not profitable and was reorganized into Vilija in 1911. In Vilnius, Vileišis joined the Lithuanian cultural life and became a member of the illegal and mostly informal club known as the Twelve Apostles of Vilnius. One of the key tasks of the society was to organize Lithuanian language masses because at the time, there was not a single church in Vilnius that held masses in Lithuanian. Lithuanians petitioned bishop and managed to obtain Church of Saint Nicholas for their purposes in December 1901. Vileišis sponsored repairs to the church which was unused for several decades. Reportedly, Vileišis organized a secret storage of illegal Lithuanian publications in the church's attic. During the
Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
, he was a vocal advocate for education reforms and co-signed petitions on introducing Lithuanian language, literature, history to school curriculums and on reestablishing
Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
. He continued to participate in the fight for the Lithuanian language in Catholic churches and, among others, was a signatory of a memorandum sent to
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
in February 1906.


Press ban lifted

As soon as the press ban was lifted in 1904, Vileišis applied for permits to open a Lithuanian printing press and a bookstore. The permits were received in September 1904. The printing press published the first Lithuanian daily ''
Vilniaus žinios ''Vilniaus žinios'' (literally: ''Vilnius news'') was a short-lived newspaper published in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was the first legal Lithuanian-language daily newspaper to appear after the Lithuanian press ban was lifted on May 7, 1904. Histo ...
''. Establishing a daily was a particularly ambitious project as Lithuanians lacked suitable experience. Vileišis hired the best and most experienced publishers at the time – linguist
Jonas Jablonskis Jonas Jablonskis (; 30 December 1860, in Kubilėliai, Šakiai district – 23 February 1930, in Kaunas) was a distinguished Lithuanian linguist and one of the founders of the standard Lithuanian language. He used the pseudonym ''Rygiškių Jon ...
, editors of ''
Varpas ''Varpas'' (literally: ''The Bell'') was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905. Because its publication was illegal in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, it wa ...
''
Povilas Višinskis Povilas Višinskis (; 28 June 1875 – 23 April 1906) was a Lithuanian cultural and political activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He is best remembered as a mentor of literary talent. He discovered Julija Žymantienė (Žemaitė) an ...
and
Jonas Kriaučiūnas Jonas Kriaučiūnas (18 June 1864 – 5 February 1941) was a Lithuanian activist during the Lithuanian National Revival mostly noted for editing and publishing Lithuanian periodicals ''Varpas'' and '' Ūkininkas'' in 1891–1895 and ''Vilniaus ži ...
, playwright and theater activist Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. The first issue of ''Vilniaus žinios'' was published on 10 December 1904. It became popular (helped by the need for news during the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
) and had almost 6,000 subscribers by early 1905. However, soon the number of subscribers dropped to about 3,000. Vileišis considered the newspaper his personal project and interfered with the editorial staff leading to conflicts and resignations. For example, Jablonskis and Višinskis resigned within a month. Due to Vileišis conservative political stance, the newspaper did not cover the
Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
and did not develop a more distinctive editorial voice. Nevertheless, much of the organizational work for the
Great Seimas of Vilnius The Great Seimas of Vilnius ( lt, Didysis Vilniaus Seimas, also known as the ''Great Assembly of Vilnius'', the ''Grand Diet of Vilnius'', or the ''Great Diet of Vilnius'') was a major assembly held on December 4 and 5, 1905 (November 21–22, 19 ...
was carried out by Vileišis and the staff of ''Vilniaus žinios''. Vileišis hoped to increase the readership by catering to the Catholic clergy and invited
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, univers ...
to become its new editor. The measure worked temporarily but the newspaper was deeply unprofitable and required constant new funds from Vileišis. The publication was temporarily discontinued in April–June 1907. In August 1907, Vileišis sold the newspaper to a company owned by his brother
Jonas Vileišis Jonas Vileišis (January 3, 1872 – June 1, 1942) was a Lithuanian lawyer, politician, and diplomat. Early life and career Vileišis was born in Mediniai, near Pasvalys. In 1892 he graduated from the Šiauliai Gymnasium. During 1892-1894, he ...
and others who published it until March 1909. In addition to ''Vilniaus žinios'', the printing press of Vileišis also published newspapers ''Šviesa'' and ''Lietuvos bitininkas''. In 1904–1910, the printing press published a total 128 non-periodical publications. In December 1910, Vileišis sold the press to Witold Kopeć. The bookstore was opened on 25 October 1904 in the building of the present-day
Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė filharmonija) is a concert agency headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. Established in 1940 as State Philharmonic of the Lithuanian SSR, it has operated continuously since then ...
. For the initial inventory, he took about 40,000 copies of 42 different booklets that he had published in East Prussia. The bookstore was not profitable and was purchased by its manager in 1909. In December 1905, right after the
Great Seimas of Vilnius The Great Seimas of Vilnius ( lt, Didysis Vilniaus Seimas, also known as the ''Great Assembly of Vilnius'', the ''Grand Diet of Vilnius'', or the ''Great Diet of Vilnius'') was a major assembly held on December 4 and 5, 1905 (November 21–22, 19 ...
, Vileišis co-founded the (), however the party did not become more active. In 1907, Vileišis was elected to the board of the newly established
Lithuanian Scientific Society The Lithuanian Scientific Society ( lt, Lietuvių mokslo draugija) was a scientific, cultural, and educational organization that was active between 1907 and 1940 in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was founded in 1907 on the initiative of Jonas Basanavič ...
and hosted the
first exhibition of Lithuanian art The Lithuanian Art Society ( lt, Lietuvių dailės draugija) was a society that organized Lithuanians, Lithuanian art exhibitions and supported List of Lithuanian artists, Lithuanian artists. Based in Vilnius (then part of the Russian Empire), it ...
at his home in
Antakalnis Antakalnis (''literally'' lt, 'the place on hills', adapted in pl, Antokol) is an eldership in the Vilnius city municipality, Lithuania. Antakalnis is one of the oldest, and largest historical suburbs of Vilnius City. It is in the eastern s ...
. He supported many other Lithuanian activities, including the first Lithuanian school in Vilnius,
Rūta Society Rūta Society ( lt, Vilniaus lietuvių kultūros draugija „Rūta“) was a Lithuanian cultural society in Vilnius (Vilna, Wilno), then part of the Russian Empire, active from 1909 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It organized various e ...
, Kanklės of Vilnius Society. The newspaper and other Lithuanian activities encouraged several Lithuanian activists, including
Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, pl, Jan Basanowicz; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often give ...
,
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the ...
,
Mykolas Biržiška Mykolas Biržiška (; ; 24 August 1882, in Viekšniai – 24 August 1962, in Los Angeles), a Lithuanian editor, historian, professor of literature, diplomat, and politician, was one of the twenty signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuan ...
,
Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Gabrielė Petkevičaitė (; 18 March 1861 – 14 June 1943) was a Lithuanian educator, writer, and activist. Her pen name Bitė (''Bee'') eventually became part of her last name. Encouraged by Povilas Višinskis, she joined public life and start ...
,
Jurgis Šaulys Jurgis Šaulys (; 1879–1948) was a Lithuanian economist, diplomat, and politician, and one of the twenty signatories to the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania. Šaulys attended secondary school in Palanga and attended the Kaunas Theolo ...
,
Liudas Gira Liudas Gira (27 August 1884 in Vilnius – 1 July 1946 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian poet, writer, and literary critic. His is noted for his early poetry, which resembles traditional Lithuanian folk songs. Gira was active in cultural and political ...
, to relocate to Vilnius. As a result, Vilnius was rapidly becoming the center of Lithuanian cultural life.


Return to bridge construction

None of Vileišis activities in Vilnius (ironwork factory, daily newspaper, printing press, bookstore) were profitable and by 1908 he had exhausted his savings and incurred debts. He sold these enterprises and returned to Russia to work on railway bridges for another decade. This period of his life is very poorly documented. In 1908–1910, he worked on the . For some time,
Steponas Kairys Steponas Kairys (; 1879 in Užnevėžiai near Ukmergė – December 16, 1964 in Brooklyn) was a Lithuanian engineer, nationalist, and social democrat. He was among the 20 men to sign the Act of Independence of Lithuania on February 16, 1918. ...
worked as his assistant. Surviving Vileišis' notes show that he struggled financially; in October 1912, he noted that he only had 87 kopeks and had to eat stale bread. During World War I, his home in Vilnius served as a shelter for Lithuanian refugees. In 1915–1919, he worked on the
Tuapse Tuapse (russian: Туапсе́; ady, Тӏуапсэ ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse i ...
Senaki Senaki ( ka, სენაკი; xmf, სანაკი) is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around between the rivers Tekhura/i and Tsivi, at an elevation of 28–38 meters above sea level. Senaki is ...
section of the
Transcaucasus Railway The Transcaucus Railway (russian: Закавка́зская желе́зная доро́га) was the first railway in South Caucasus.Большая Советская Энциклопедия. Гл. ред. Б. А. Введенский, 2-е ...
. For this work, he was owed 685,000
Russian ruble ''hum''; cv, тенкĕ ''tenke''; kv, шайт ''shayt''; Lak: къуруш ''k'urush''; Mari: теҥге ''tenge''; os, сом ''som''; tt-Cyrl, сум ''sum''; udm, манет ''manet''; sah, солкуобай ''solkuobay'' , name_ab ...
s. Due to the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, Vileišis did not receive the payment and later attempted to enlist the help of the Lithuanian government in collecting the amounts due. Vileišis calculated that he was owed a total of 1,447,413 gold rubles for his services. Despite difficulties and long distance, Vileišis continued to support Lithuanian activities. He hoped and made plans to one day reestablish ''Vilniaus žinios''. He was also involved in organizing a conference of Lithuanians in
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
in December 1917, supporting the Lithuanian diplomatic mission in Tbilisis (representative ), and helping Lithuanian refugees return from
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
to Lithuania.


Independent Lithuania

At age 70, Vileišis returned to independent Lithuania in February 1921. At the time, Vilnius (and his palatial home) was part of the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
and he moved to a cheap hotel 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 ...
, the
temporary capital of Lithuania The temporary capital of Lithuania ( lt, Laikinoji sostinė) was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius, which was part of Poland from 1920 u ...
. He immediately petitioned the Lithuanian government with a proposal to build a railway connecting
Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithua ...
Kretinga Kretinga (; german: Crottingen) is a City in Klaipėda County, Lithuania. It is the capital of the Kretinga district municipality. It is located east of the popular Baltic Sea resort town of Palanga, and about north of Lithuania's 3rd largest ...
Palanga Palanga (; bat-smg, Palonga; pl, Połąga; german: Polangen) is a seaside resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Palanga is the busiest summer resort in Lithuania and has sandy beaches (18 km, 11 miles long ...
. The government did not respond to the petition though the proposed railway was later built in 1924–1926 and 1929–1934. However, the government did grant him a special monthly state pension of 450
Lithuanian 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 (genit ...
in May 1923. Soon after his return to Lithuania, Vileišis started writing and publishing articles criticizing
Żeligowski's Mutiny Żeligowski's Mutiny ( pl, bunt Żeligowskiego, also ''żeligiada'', lt, Želigovskio maištas) was a Polish false flag operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuan ...
and attempts by the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
to mediate the dispute over
Vilnius Region Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time. The territory ...
. He first published articles in ''Lietuvos balsas'', then had them translated to French and published in Paris using his personal funds in September 1921. In January 1922, he obtained a permit to reestablish ''Vilniaus žinios'' but it was published due to his poor health and financial difficulties. Nevertheless, he continued to publish articles about Lithuanian political life, including a criticism of the proposed Lithuanian Land Reform of 1922, an analysis of the Provisional Constitution, and a defense of
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the ...
and
Augustinas Voldemaras Augustinas Voldemaras (16 April 1883 – 16 May 1942) was a Lithuanian nationalist political figure. He briefly served as the country's first prime minister in 1918 and continued serving as the minister of foreign affairs until 1920, representing ...
who faced fines and jail time for their criticism of the government. Vileišis translated ''International Law of Civilised Nations'' by
Friedrich Martens Friedrich Fromhold Martens, or Friedrich Fromhold von Martens,, french: Frédéric Frommhold (de) Martens ( – ) was a diplomat and jurist in service of the Russian Empire who made important contributions to the science of international law. H ...
and hoped to publish it with the help of the
University of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was k ...
. However, he was refused as the book was already too outdated for the students. On 2 February 1922, Vileišis became
Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
in the government of Prime Minister
Ernestas Galvanauskas Ernestas Galvanauskas (20 November 1882 – 24 July 1967) was a Lithuanian engineer, politician and one of the founders of the Peasant Union (which later merged with the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union). He also served twice as Prime Minis ...
. However, he resigned in June 1922.
ELTA ELTA may mean one of the following: Broadcasting * ELTA 1 HD, the first commercial HD cable television channel in Bosnia and Herzegovina * ELTA 2, a commercial music television channel in Bosnia and Herzegovina * , a television channel in Taiwan O ...
, the official news agency in Lithuania, announced that the resignation was due to health reasons. This was contradicted by Vileišis who published a short note in ''Tėvynės balsas'' that his resignation was requested by the Prime Minister. This caused ELTA to publish a more detailed account which claimed that Vileišis was pushed out of the government due to a diplomatic blunder – Vileišis hosted an afternoon tea which was attended by the first secretary of the Polish legation in Berlin. Such encounters with Polish politicians and diplomats were to be avoided at all cost in the light of the ongoing Polish–Lithuanian dispute over Vilnius. Vileišis responded that the afternoon tea was a private and unofficial event and that the Polish diplomat showed up uninvited. He claimed that the conflict with Galvanauskas started when Vileišis dismissed his vice-minister . Such public disagreement caused much speculation as to the real causes of Vileišis dismissal. Many commentators concluded that Vileišis was too patriotic and idealist to work with bureaucrats and careerists who looked only after their own self-interest. However, Vileišis returned to the ministry when he was selected as chairman of the Council of Engineers, an advisory institution to the ministry. He served in this capacity from 1 October 1923 to his death. This position paid a respectable salary which helped resolve Vileišis' financial difficulties. In summer 1923, Vileišis chaired a committee which debated the construction of the
War Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
and selected its location though the construction started only in 1930. In February 1923 and May 1926, Vileišis was awarded honorary doctorates in literature and engineering by the
University of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was k ...
.


Death

Vileišis died suddenly on 12 August 1925 while on vacation in
Palanga Palanga (; bat-smg, Palonga; pl, Połąga; german: Polangen) is a seaside resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Palanga is the busiest summer resort in Lithuania and has sandy beaches (18 km, 11 miles long ...
. The government organized a
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
and closed all government institutions for two hours (duration of the funeral) on 16 August. The funeral was attended by President
Kazys Grinius Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 18664 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, and held that office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his resignat ...
, Prime Minister
Mykolas Sleževičius Mykolas Sleževičius (21 February 1882 – 11 November 1939) was a Lithuanian lawyer, political and cultural figure, and journalist. One of the most influential figures in inter-war Lithuania, he served as the prime minister of Lithuania on thre ...
, Speaker 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 amendmen ...
Jonas Staugaitis, and other dignitaries. The religious rites were performed by
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, univers ...
. After a brief stop at the
War Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
and a Catholic mass by Archbishop Juozas Skriveckas, Vileišis was temporarily buried in a crypt of
Kaunas Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of apostles St. Peter and St. Paul of Kaunas ( lt, Kauno Šv. apaštalų Petro ir Povilo katedra bazilika) is a Roman Catholic cathedral basilica in Kaunas, Lithuania. History The exact date when the first Gothic style chu ...
. Many Lithuanian periodicals published Vileišis' obituary or memoirs about him. ''
Lietuvos žinios ''Lietuvos žinios'' (literally: ''News of Lithuania'') was a daily newspaper in Lithuania. Established in Vilnius in 1909, it was a liberal newspaper representing the Lithuanian Democratic Party. Even though its publication was interrupted by Wor ...
'' devoted the entire issue of 17 August to his memory. In his last will, Vileišis wanted to be buried in the family chapel that he constructed in the
Rasos Cemetery Rasos Cemetery ( lt, Rasų kapinės, pl, cmentarz Na Rossie, be, Могілкі Росы) is the oldest and most famous cemetery in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is named after the Rasos district where it is located. It is separated in ...
in Vilnius after the death of his 12-year-old son Petras in 1904. However, due to the conflict with Poland over
Vilnius Region Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time. The territory ...
, it could not be accomplished until 22 March 1936. His transport from Kaunas and reburial in Vilnius was a public event.


Legacy

In 1926, a square used for military parades in
Žaliakalnis Žaliakalnis (literally, "the green hill") is an Elderships of Lithuania, elderate in Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas. Žaliakalnis is located north of the old town and the city center area, between the Neris and Girstupis valleys. It is on ...
, a neighborhood in Kaunas, was renamed after Vileišis. In 1929, the new
Petras Vileišis Bridge Petras Vileišis Bridge formerly known as Vilijampolė Bridge is a bridge connecting Kaunas Old Town and Vilijampolė, Lithuania. It is the last bridge over the Neris River before its mouth. Its length exceeds 291 metres, width 14 metres. The b ...
across the
Neris River The river Neris () or Viliya ( be, Ві́лія, pl, Wilia ) rises in northern Belarus. It flows westward, passing through Vilnius (Lithuania's capital) and in the south-centre of that country it flows into the Nemunas (Neman), at Kaunas, a ...
in Kaunas was named in his honor. In 1933, Lithuania issued two postage stamps with a portrait of Vileišis (the series commemorated the 50th anniversary of ''
Aušra ''Aušra'' or ''Auszra'' (literally: ''dawn'') was the first national Lithuanian newspaper. The first issue was published in 1883, in Ragnit, East Prussia, Germany (newspaper credited it as lt, Ragainė) East Prussia's ethnolinguistic part - ...
''). In 1934, a new primary school named after Vileišis was opened in , his birthplace. The school had a small room dedicated to his memorial museum. In 1935, the Higher Commerce School in
Pasvalys Pasvalys () is a town in Panevėžys County, Lithuania, located near the bank of the Svalia River. History In 1557, the Treaty of Pasvalys was signed in the town, which provoked Ivan IV of Russia to start the Livonian War. Pasvalys has mineral s ...
(near the birthplace of Vileišis) was named in his honor. At the same time, a sculpture of Vileišis (sculptor
Vincas Grybas Vincas Grybas (3 October 1890 – 3 July 1941) was a Lithuanian sculptor. Vincas Grybas was born in Lukšiai village, where he finished elementary school. Later he continued his studies at Warsaw art school. After World War I Grybas extended hi ...
) was unveiled near the school. This sculpture was not destroyed during the
Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
and survives to this day. In September 1939, a bust of Vileišis by sculptor
Bernardas Bučas Bernardas Bučas (1903–1979) was a Lithuanian painter, sculptor, and graphicer. Amongst his works are the statue ''Agriculture'' ( lt, Žemės ūkis) on the Green Bridge in Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and ...
was unveiled in the garden of the
War Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
. This bust was demolished in 1950. During the
Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
, Vileišis was rarely mentioned in specialist literature because he was a capitalist. After Lithuania declared independence in 1990, he is once again remembered and honored. Already in 1991, his 140th birth anniversary, the
Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka) is a national cultural institution which collects, organizes and preserves Lithuania's written cultural heritage content, develops the coll ...
and the community of Pasvalys organized exhibitions, readings, and memorials. Objects named after Vileišis during the interwar period were again renamed in his honor – the school in Pasvalys in 1989, the square and street in Kaunas in 1989 and 1991, the bridge across Neris in 2008; the bust in the garden of the War Museum was reconstructed in 1989. A school in Kaunas was named in honor of Vileišis (it was renamed in honor of both Vileišis and his brother
Jonas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...
in 2009). In 2001, Lithuania issued a postage stamp with a portrait of Vileišis. In 2018, a monument to three Vileišis brothers (Petras, Jonas, and Antanas) by sculptor was unveiled in Vilnius. The first longer biography of Vileišis was published by
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, univers ...
in 1924. Several monographs about Vileišis were published after 1990: by Jonas Pertronis in 1992, by Antanas Kučys (in United States) and Jonas Aničas in 1993. Selected works and writings of Vileišis were collected and republished by the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore in 2004.


Publications


Positivist outlook

Vileišis was influenced by
positivism Positivism is an empiricist philosophical theory that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positive—meaning ''a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. G ...
and attempted to implement it in practice. He focused on improving social and economic conditions of the Lithuanian people and published many educational works on how to improve agricultural practices, encourage trade and industry, credit unions and cooperatives. Many other activists of the time focused on
romantic nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
– glorification of the history of the old
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 partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
and praise of the beauty of the archaic Lithuanian language – to build the
national consciousness National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or to one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...
and improve self-worth of the Lithuanian people. Vileišis was more practical – he thought the same goals would be achieved through improved economic and living conditions. Vileišis also disliked politics and stayed away from political demands or proclamations. He frequently spoke out against publishing texts attacking and criticizing the government as this would only antagonize the government and strengthen the repressive
Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
policies. Therefore, sometimes he is criticized as a Tsarist loyalist. This outlook is well reflected in Vileišis correspondence about ''
Aušra ''Aušra'' or ''Auszra'' (literally: ''dawn'') was the first national Lithuanian newspaper. The first issue was published in 1883, in Ragnit, East Prussia, Germany (newspaper credited it as lt, Ragainė) East Prussia's ethnolinguistic part - ...
'', the first national Lithuanian newspaper. In 1883, Vileišis wrote letters advising its publishers and criticizing its content. He wanted to publish practical and educational advice and not historical and literary texts (preferred by
Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, pl, Jan Basanowicz; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often give ...
) or political debates and pro-socialist articles (introduced by
Jonas Šliūpas Jonas Šliūpas (6 March 1861 – 6 November 1944) was a prominent and prolific Lithuanian activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. For 35 years, he lived in the United States working to build national consciousness of Lithuanian America ...
). Therefore, he initially refused to support ''Aušra''.


Publication themes

Many of Vileišis' books contained practical and specific agricultural advice and guides. In 1883, his first publication in East Prussia, was agricultural advice written by and translated from Polish by . Vileišis also published booklets on cattle (1884), on gardens, hops, and bees (1885), cows and milk (1892), horses and their illnesses (1893), potatoes (1900), oats (1902), etc. In 1902–1903, he published three textbook-type booklets about selected crafts (including lathing, metal working, brush, wheel, and rope making,
tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
of leather and furs). He also published basic guides to laws relevant to peasants (two booklets in 1886 and 1887). Vileišis commissioned three further legal booklets from
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the ...
in 1902–1903. He further sponsored the publication of 17 medical booklets by his physician brother
Antanas Antanas is a Lithuanian masculine given name derived from Antonius that is equivalent to Anthony in Lithuania. It may refer to: * Antanas Andrijauskas (born 1948), Lithuanian philosopher *Antanas Bagdonavičius (born 1938), Lithuanian rower and Ol ...
. Vileišis also published a number of booklets explaining the basic concepts of physics, chemistry, cosmology, geology, geography. Several of them were based on writings of . About a quarter of the books in this category explained the workings of machinery (e.g.
steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
, railways,
printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...
). He published four textbooks on arithmetic, geometry, geography, and physics even though there were no schools teaching in Lithuanian. As these were the first technical books in Lithuanian, Vileišis had to translate and create Lithuanian equivalents to many technical terms a few of which are still used in modern Lithuanian. Vileišis published several books about or by famous businessmen, including the pioneer of rail transport
George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...
, American showman
P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...
, banker and archaeologist John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury. He translated and published abbreviated ''Self-Help (book), Self-Help'' by Samuel Smiles in 1903. He promoted industry, trade, and crafts. In 1901, he published a booklet promoting cooperatives. These economic areas were dominated by the Lithuanian Jews, therefore Vileišis often wrote about them as competitors of Lithuanians and published a separate booklet in 1886. While Vileišis promoted wealth accumulation, he emphasized ethics – good moral character, strong will and determination, hard work and frugality. He also promoted Autodidacticism, self-learning. Despite his focus on practical and educational texts, Vileišis also published several texts about the history of Lithuania. He translated the history of Lithuania by Konstancja Skirmuntt and had it published by
Jonas Šliūpas Jonas Šliūpas (6 March 1861 – 6 November 1944) was a prominent and prolific Lithuanian activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. For 35 years, he lived in the United States working to build national consciousness of Lithuanian America ...
in the United States in 1887. He published two booklets condemning the Polonization of Lithuania. One of them was first published by
Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, pl, Jan Basanowicz; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often give ...
in the Russian newspaper ''Novoye Vremya (newspaper), Novoye Vremya'' in 1883. In 1892–1893, he published two booklets about the history of Vilnius and the closed
Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
. In 1895, he published a booklet about the relations of the Russian Empire with the western Europe and the Catholic Church. In it, he criticized various
Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
policies. Vileišis also planned to write a short world history, but managed to complete only the first volume about the ancient history in 1903. When he opened his own press in Vilnius, he published about 30 postcards (most of them with lithographs of historical sites by Napoleon Orda).


Family

In April 1885, Vileišis married Alina Zinaida Moszczyńska, a Roman Catholic daughter of petty nobles. She was born near
Orsha Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers. History Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...
. His brother Anupras married Alina's sister Leocadia. Very little is known about Alina's life. According to
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, univers ...
, she supported Polish culture and only tolerated her husband's Lithuanian activities. Another memoir published by Pranas Stanaitis in 1929 claimed that Vileišis spoke French to his wife at home, but used Lithuanian to speak to their children. Vileišis did not write about his wife except for a brief mention that she helped with bookkeeping at his printing press and bookstore in Vilnius. The couple had six children: Jonas (1886–1946) who became an attorney, (1887–1937) who was
Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
in 1929–1934, Elena Vileišytė-Jaloveckienė (1889–1953), Marija Vileišytė-Baženskienė (1891–1944) who published two collections of Polish poetry in 1920s, Petras (1892–1904) who died suddenly of brain inflammation, and Kazimiera Birutė Vileišytė-Stulginskienė (1894–1971).


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *


External links


Family tree of Vileišiai family
at Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore website {{DEFAULTSORT:Vileisis, Petras 1851 births 1926 deaths Lithuanian businesspeople Lithuanian engineers Railway civil engineers Lithuanian publishers (people) Ministers of Transport and Communications of Lithuania Saint Petersburg State University alumni People from Kovno Governorate People from Pasvalys District Municipality Burials at Rasos Cemetery