The Birutė Society was the first cultural non-religious society of

Prussian Lithuanians The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...

. Established in 1885 in Tilsit,

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

(present-day Sovetsk), the society was intermittently active until the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The society sought to preserve Lithuanian language and culture and protect them form

Germanization Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people, and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nati ...

. While it discussed linguistic and cultural subjects, the society never raised issues of social inequality or protested against the political regime of Kaiser

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

. The society prompted the division of Prussian Lithuanians into two main groups: religious conservative versus secular liberals. Birutė is best remembered for organizing festivals and celebrations that featured Lithuanian-language performances of various folk and patriotic songs as well as amateur theater performances, including the first Lithuanian-language theater performance in 1895.

History

Establishment and early activities

The Lithuanian Literary Society was established in Tilsit in 1879, but it took more academic interest in

Lithuanian language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...

and culture. The society considered that the Lithuanian culture was dying due to

and sought to record and study it but took no steps in keeping the language and culture alive. Thus Lithuanian activists began preparations for their own society. The issue was first raised by Georg Sauerwein in '' Lietuwißka Ceitunga'' in 1882. The idea was supported and further crystallized by

Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, ; 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 given the informal hon ...

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 American ...

, and others. They decided to establish a society that would study Lithuanian culture and heritage and that would actively promote it among the Lithuanians both in Lithuania Minor and Lithuania Major. They went as far as collecting membership applications and dues and scheduling the organizational meeting for 11 January 1894, but due to various difficulties, including financial hardship faced by ''

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 ) East Prussia's ethnolinguistic part - Lithuania Mi ...

'' newspaper, such society was not established. Basanavičius established the Lithuanian Scientific Society only in 1907. Instead, on 15 February 1885, four Prussian Lithuanians (

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 ...

, Jurgis Mikšas, Kristupas Voska, Ernestas Vejeris) established purely cultural society Birutė. At the time, they were its only members. The society was named after Grand Duchess

Birutė Birutė (died 1382) was the Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Kęstutis, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and mother of Vytautas the Great. There is very little known about Birutė's life, but after her death a cu ...

(died in 1382) possibly as a result of a poem published in ''Aušra''. The name was later criticized for being too feminine and for not reflecting the identity of Prussian Lithuanians. The new society was attacked and criticized by the Germans for competing with the Lithuanian Literary Society and by religious Prussian Lithuanians for being too secular. The society held monthly meeting to discuss new books, share folklore, deliver presentations, debate on ways to stop Germanization. The meetings took place not only in Tilsit, but also in Memel (

Klaipėda Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

), Coadjuthen ( Katyčiai), Kaukehmen ( Jasnoje), Ragnit (

Neman Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms Lithuania–Russia border, the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its s ...

), Lasdehnen ( Krasnoznamensk), Schmalleningken ( Smalininkai). The number of attendees grew from a dozen to 300. However, the quality of presentations and discussions was limited by lack of education among Birutė's members, most of whom only had primary education. In one of the early meetings, Vilius Bruožis, future chairman of the society, spoke for three hours trying to prove that the Lithuanian language was spoken in the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

. The society considered and took tentative steps to establish Lithuanian-language schools, publish books (including a history of Lithuania that would incorporate the history of Lithuania Minor), its own newspaper, or calendars, but those plans were not realized. The society considered but rejected the idea of taking over the publication of bankrupt ''

''. Instead, it financially supported (15

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...

per month) the short-lived newspaper ''Garsas'' published by Jankus. In 1888, the society officially dropped book publication from its goals and reduced the number of meetings to once a quarter. In total, between 1885 and 1888, the society held about 30 meetings.

Revival in 1895–1899

The moribund society was revived in February 1895 for the celebration of its 10th anniversary. It organized a festival, attended by some 800 people, which included amateur theater performance of a play by

Aleksandras Fromas-Gužutis Aleksandras Fromas known by his pen name Gužutis (1822–1900) was a Lithuanian writer, one of the first authors of Lithuanian plays and dramas. Born to a family of an office worker, Fromas received some education at the Kražiai College. He wo ...

about the Siege of Kaunas in 1362. It was the first Lithuanian-language theater performance preceding the first performance in Lithuania Major by five years. The play was followed by living scenes which depicted a battle with the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

and post-battle negotiations. Other performances included a concert by an orchestra of Prussian dragoons and seven singers from

Tauragė Tauragė (; see #Names and etymology, other names) is an industrial city in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. In 2020, its population was 20,956. Tauragė is situated on the Jūra, Jūra River, close to the border with the Kaliningr ...

(Lithuania Major). Among the songs performed was '' Lietuvininkai we are born'' by Georg Sauerwein to a melody of . Other songs included

polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...

and

mazurka The Mazurka ( Polish: ''mazurek'') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strong accents unsystematically placed on the seco ...

Vincas Kudirka Vincas Kudirka (; – ) was a Lithuanian poet and physician, and the author of both the music and lyrics of the Lithuanian national anthem, "". He is regarded in Lithuania as a national hero. Kudirka used the pen names V. Kapsas, Paežerių Vi ...

, compositions by teacher , works by German and Italian composers. The festival was a success and it was decided to organize such events twice a year, in winter and in summer during the

Saint Jonas' Festival Saint Jonas' Festival, also known as ''Rasos'' (''Dew Holiday''), ''Joninės'', ''Kupolė'', Midsummer Day or Saint John's Day) is a midsummer folk festival celebrated on 24 June all around Lithuania. The celebrations often involve flower wreat ...

. The same year, Birutė established its men's choir which first performed in February 1896. The society convinced

Vydūnas Wilhelm Storost, artistic name Vilius Storostas-Vydūnas (22 March 1868 – 20 February 1953), mostly known as Vydūnas, was a Prussian-Lithuanian teacher, poet, humanist, philosopher and Lithuanian writer, a leader of the Prussian Lithuani ...

to direct it, but it soon disbanded. The last performance was in June 1897. Another Lithuanian choir was established at the and was also directed by Vydūnas. This Lithuanian Choir of Tilsit was more successful and, at different times, was either a collaborator with or the main competitor of Birutė. Songs sung at Birutė's event were patriotic and often originated from Lithuania Major attracting criticism for being too radical. The festivals were organized not only in Tilsit, but also on Rambynas in 1896 and 1900 and in Memel (

) in 1897. In 1899, the celebrations featured first plays by Vydūnas staged by his choir members. Due to inappropriate behavior by Birutė members, the Lithuanian Choir refused further collaborations and the society's activities diminished. Rambynas, a sacred hill in the

Lithuanian mythology Lithuanian mythology () is the mythology of Lithuanians, Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-European studies, Indo-Europeans, Lithuanians (tribe), ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic myth ...

, was a private property and therefore access to it was limited. Birutė bought a plot of land (11

morgen A Morgen (Mg) is a historical, but still occasionally used, German unit of area used in agriculture. Officially, it is no longer in use, having been supplanted by the hectare. While today it is approximately equivalent to the Prussian ''morgen' ...

s) on the eastern part of the hill to provide public access, but it lacked funds to pay the purchase price and the plot was eventually transferred to . In 1899, an idea was raised to build a monument (a Lithuanian girl playing

kanklės The ''kanklės'' () is a Lithuanian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery, along with the Latvian '' kokles'', Estonian '' kannel'', Finnish '' kantele'', and Russian '' ...

) on Rambynas dedicated to

Kristijonas Donelaitis Kristijonas Donelaitis (; 1 January 1714 – 18 February 1780) was a Prussian Lithuanian poet and Lutheran pastor. He lived and worked in Lithuania Minor, a territory in the Kingdom of Prussia, that had a sizable Lithuanian-speaking minority. H ...

, Prussian Lithuanian poet and the author of the first Lithuanian-language poem. It seems that the idea originated from Birutė, though it was not realized.

Revival by Vanagaitis

After a failed event in February 1901, the society became barely active and a liquidation meeting was called for December 1903. However, the meeting instead elected new chairman Jonas Vanagaitis who revived the organization. However, until 1908 the society was not very active as Vanagaitis and other members were more involved and focused on activities of the Lithuanian Union in Prussia (''Lietuvininkų susivienijimas Prūsuose''). In 1905, Birutė assisted the Lithuanian Literary Society with building the Lithuanian House in the Jakobsruh Park in Tilsit. In 1905, the society celebrated its 20th anniversary. The celebration included two plays written and staged by

and his Lithuanian Choir. The plays were specifically written for the occasion and poked fun at Birutė's weaknesses and strengths. In 1908–1909, the society resumed the tradition of organizing concerts and theater performances at various rural locations of Lithuania Minor. For example, it organized an Easter concert in Katyčiai in 1909. Initially it enlisted the help of a choir from

, but soon reestablished its own choir (1909–1912), directed by Albert Johann Niemann. However, the events were not as popular or well executed as those of the Lithuanian Choir of Tilsit. ''

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. History ...

'' in particular harshly criticized the performance of ''Ponas ir mužikai'' in 1908. In 1910, the society commemorated the 500th anniversary of the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald 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 respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

. The celebration was inspired not only by the 25th anniversary of the society, but also by the German commemoration of the

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, also called the Varus Disaster or Varian Disaster () by Ancient Rome, Roman historians, was a major battle fought between an alliance of Germanic peoples and the Roman Empire between September 8 and 11, 9&nbs ...

a year earlier.Safronovas (2011) ''Bandymas formuoti alternatyvą'', p. 89 Not all Prussian Lithuanians supported the event. In articles published in '' Lietuwißka Ceitunga'' and '' Tilžės Keleiwis'', opponents argued for maintaining good relations with all neighbors and not following the example of Poles who irresponsibly provoked conflicts. They also directed people's attention to the 100th death anniversary of the beloved Louise, Queen of Prussia.Safronovas (2011) ''Bandymas formuoti alternatyvą'', p. 91 In June 1910, Prussian Lithuanian youth gathered on Rambynas. It started a boom of youth organizations in various town; in a few years more than 15 local organizations were established. In 1912, they united under the umbrella organization Santara. These organizations took the initiative and overshadowed Birutė, which ceased its activities altogether in 1914 at the outbreak of

Legacy

In September 1911, Vanagaitis started publishing journal ''Birutė'' which began using the term

Lithuania Minor Lithuania Minor (; ; ) or Prussian Lithuania (; ; ) is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is a historical region of Prussia, where Prussian Lithuanians (or Lietuvininkai) lived, now located in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Obla ...

more often, competing with previous preferred term Prussian Lithuania. This reflected a shift in the understanding of the term Lithuania. The society early on adopted the green–white–red flag that was historically used in the region (its origins are unknown); the flag eventually became the flag of Lithuania Minor. While the society promoted events and symbols from the history of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

(such as the struggles against the

during the

Lithuanian Crusade The Lithuanian Crusade was a series of campaigns by the Teutonic Order and the Livonian Order under the pretext of forcibly Christianizing the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Livonian Order occupied Riga in 1202 and in the 1230s they settled ...

or the image of Grand Duke

Vytautas Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites. In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...

as the great leader), it remained politically loyal to the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. Birutė provided the first alternative to the historical memory promoted by the German Empire or the Church. Prussian Lithuanians knew more about the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

and

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

than about the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was an early attempt at finding own distinctive history and identity, which was continued by other organizations. While Birutė was plagued by lack of leadership and internal disagreements, its amateur concerts and theater performances sought to prove that the Lithuanian language was viable and equal to other languages.

Library

In March 1908, Birutė transferred its library and archaeological collection to the Lithuanian Scientific Society in Vilnius. At that time, the library had about 750 books, most of which were acquired via donations. The donors included linguists

Jan Baudouin de Courtenay Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de Courtenay, also Ivan Alexandrovich Baudouin de Courtenay (; 13 March 1845 – 3 November 1929), was a Polish linguist and Slavic studies, Slavist, best known for his theory of the phoneme and allophone, phoneti ...

and

Adalbert Bezzenberger Adalbert Bezzenberger (14 April 1851 – 31 October 1922) was a German philologist. He was born at Kassel and died at Königsberg. He is considered to be the founder of Baltic philology.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 ) East Prussia's ethnolinguistic part - Lithuania Mi ...

'' and ''

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 w ...

'', and others. About 61% of the books were in the Lithuanian language with German books accounting for 13%. The society did not have separate premises and stored the books at home of its librarians, who included Dovas Zaunius and Jonas Smalakys. While the majority of the books were from the 19th and 20th centuries (92% and 5%, respectively), the collection included several rare books, including ''Postil'' of Jonas Bretkūnas (1591). After 1908, the society reestablished the library collecting fiction and non-fiction books geared towards the general public.

Chairmen

The chairmen were: # Jurgis Mikšas (February–June 1885) # Vilius Bruožis (June 1885 – February 1887) # Georg Sauerwein (March–August 1887) # Dovas Zaunius (August 1887 – December 1889, 1892–1893, 1900, March 1902 – December 1903) #

(December 1889 – summer 1892) # Jurgis Lapinas (June 1893 – 1900) # Kristupas Voska (1900) # Jonas Vanagaitis (December 1903 – 1914)

Theater performances

The society staged the following amateur plays: * 1895 and 1901: ''Išgriovimas Kauno pilies 1362 m.'' about the

Siege of Kaunas (1362) The siege of Kaunas was laid by the Teutonic Order on the newly built Kaunas Castle in spring 1362. It was the first brick castle built by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After a month-long siege, the castle was captured and destroyed. Its command ...

* 1896: ''Kova ties Žalgiriu'' about the

in 1410 by Jonas Grinius * 1897 and 1908: ''Ponas ir mužikai'' about serfdom by Aleksandras Fromas-Gužutis * 1898: ''Kęstutis'' about Grand Duke

Kęstutis Kęstutis ( – 3 or 15 August 1382) was sole Duke of Trakai from 1342 to 1382 and List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1342 to 1382, together with his brother Algirdas (until 1377), and with his nephew Jogaila (from 1377 to ...

Adam Asnyk Adam Asnyk (11 September 1838 – 2 August 1897), was a Polish poet and dramatist of the Positivist era. Life and work Born in Kalisz to a szlachta family, he was educated to become an heir of his family's estate. As such he received education ...

* 1899: ''Pasiilgimas veldėtojo'' by

* 1900: '' Amerika pirtyje'', a comedy about a con artist, by brothers Antanas and Juozas Vilkutaitis * 1908: ''Užburtas kunigaikštis'', a comedy translated from German by Antanas Macijauskas * 1909: ''Raudvylas'' and ''Atlygino'' by Jonas Vanagaitis * 1910: ''Testamentas'' and ''Žentas'' by Jonas Vanagaitis, ''Birutė'' by Gabrielius Žemkalnis-Landsbergis

Publications

The society published: * Collections of songs ''Birutės dainos'' (1886, 1899, 1906, 1919, 1921), ''Birutininkų dainos'' (1908), ''Birutės garsai'' (1910, 1914), ''Birutės dainų vainikėlis'' (1910) * Collection of speeches by Georg Sauerwein (1887, 1897) * Collection of sheet music by Albert Niemann ''Lietuvių tėvynės dainos'' (1911)

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite encyclopedia, first=Vaclovas , last=Bagdonavičius , title=Birutė , encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija , language=lt , volume=I , year=2000 , location=Vilnius , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas , isbn=5-420-01471-8 , pages=177–179 {{cite book , first=Vacys , last=Bagdonavičius , title=Spindulys esmi begalinės šviesos: etiudai apie Vydūną , chapter=Ar verta atgimti Mažosios Lietuvos mėgėjiško teatro tradicijai? , year=2008 , publisher=Kultūros, filosofijos ir meno institutas , url=http://vydunodraugija.lt/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Spindulys-esmi-begalin%C4%97s-%C5%A1viesos.pdf , language=lt , isbn=978-9986-638-98-8 , pages=145, 147–148 {{cite web , first=Vaclovas , last=Bagdonavičius , date=12 March 2015 , title=Pirmosios prūsų lietuvių draugijos Birutės 130-mečiui , url=http://www.mazoji-lietuva.lt/pirmosios-prusu-lietuviu-draugijos-birutes-130-meciui/ , publisher=Mažoji Lietuva , issn=2029-3542 , language=lt , access-date=2 September 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819231927/http://www.mazoji-lietuva.lt/pirmosios-prusu-lietuviu-draugijos-birutes-130-meciui/ , archive-date=19 August 2016 , url-status=dead {{cite encyclopedia , editor-first= Vaclovas , editor-last=Biržiška , year=1954 , url=http://lituapedija.net/Puslapis:LE03.djvu/15 , volume=3 , page=15 , language=lt , title=Birutės Draugija , encyclopedia=Lietuvių enciklopedija , publisher=Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla , location=Boston {{cite journal , first=Milda , last=Budrys , url=http://www.lituanus.org/1985/85_1_01.htm , title=Lithuanian Physicians — "Aušrininkai" , journal=Lituanus , date=Spring 1985 , issn=0024-5089 , volume=1 , issue=31 {{cite encyclopedia, first=Domas , last=Kaunas , title=Birutės draugijos biblioteka , encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija , language=lt , volume=I , year=2000 , location=Vilnius , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas , isbn=5-420-01471-8 , page=180 {{cite journal , first=Daiva , last=Kšanienė , year=2010 , language=lt , title=Jono Vanagaičio indėlis į Mažosios Lietuvos kultūrinių (muzikinių) draugijų veiklą , journal=Res Humanitariae , volume=VII , url=http://etalpykla.lituanistikadb.lt/fedora/get/LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2010~1367173164177/DS.002.0.01.ARTIC , issn=1822-7708 , page=109 {{cite journal , first=Daiva , last=Kšanienė , year=2009 , language=lt , title=Martyno Jankaus indėlis į Mažosios Lietuvos muzikinę kultūrą , url=http://etalpykla.lituanistikadb.lt/fedora/objects/LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2009~1367167198447/datastreams/DS.002.0.01.ARTIC/content , journal=Knygotyra , volume=52 , issn= 0204-2061 , page=61 {{cite journal , first=Silva , last=Pocytė , title=Mažosios Lietuvos lietuvių mentaliteto atspindys kultūrinių draugijų veikloje XIX a. pabaigoje - XX a. pradžioje , url=http://etalpykla.lituanistikadb.lt/fedora/objects/LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2003~1367181141470/datastreams/DS.002.0.01.ARTIC/content , year=2003 , journal=Tiltai, priedas. Mokslo darbai , volume=16 , language=lt , issn=1648-3979 , pages=156–159 {{cite book , first=Silva , last=Pocytė , title=Mažlietuviai Vokietijos imperijoje, 1871-1914 , year=2002 , chapter-url=http://www.mazoji-lietuva.lt/mazlietuviu-reakcija-i-lietuviu-kalbos-vartojimo-apribojima-mokyklose-ir-baznycioje/ , chapter=Mažlietuvių reakcija į lietuvių kalbos vartojimo apribojimą mokyklose ir Bažnyčioje , language=lt , publisher=Vaga , isbn=5-415-01676-7 {{cite journal , first=Silva , last=Pocytė , title=Jono Vanagaičio kultūrinė veikla ir jo "Birutės" , url=http://www.silaine.lt/2009/2009-09-22/Pocytes-Vanag-18.htm , journal=Šilainės sodas , language=lt , date=22 September 2009 , volume=18 , issue=90 , issn=2029-6282 {{cite book, first= Rima , last=Povilionienė , title=Sounds, Societies, Significations: Numanistic Approaches to Music , chapter=Music as National Identity Manifesto: The Musical Repertoire of Lithuanian Evenings at the Beginning of the 20th Century , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a4bgDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 , page=81 , publisher=Springer , year=2017 , isbn=9783319470603 {{cite book , first=Vasilijus , last=Safronovas , chapter-url=http://etalpykla.lituanistikadb.lt/fedora/get/LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2011~1367180438636/DS.002.0.01.ARTIC , chapter= Bandymas formuoti alternatyvą: lietuviškojo didžiojo istorinio pasakojimo aktualizavimas Prūsijos Lietuvoje XIX–XX amžių sandūroje , title=Daugiareikšmės tapatybės tarpuerdvėse: Rytų Prūsijos atvejis XIX–XX amžiais , year=2011 , series=Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis , volume=XXIII , language=lt , issn=1392-4095 , pages=76–77 {{cite book, first=Alfred Erich , last=Senn , title=Jonas Basanavičius: The Patriarch of the Lithuanian National Renaissance , series=East European Biography Series , year=1980 , publisher=Oriental Research Partners , isbn=0-89250-251-7 , page=10 {{cite web, url=http://www.silutesnaujienos.lt/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1326:maosios-lietuvos-vliava-bausti-negalima-pasigailti&catid=57:istorija&Itemid=102 , title=Mažosios Lietuvos vėliava: bausti negalima pasigailėti , date=22 January 2012 , publisher=Šilutės Naujienos , language=lt, access-date=2 September 2017 {{cite book , first=Guntis , last=Šmidchens , title=The Power of Song: Nonviolent National Culture in the Baltic Singing Revolution , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_TfOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 , page=94 , publisher=University of Washington Press , year=2014 , isbn=9780295993102 {{cite encyclopedia, first=Algirdas , last=Žemaitaitis , title=Rambynas , encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija , volume=4 , location=Vilnius , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas , year=2009 , pages=37–40 , isbn=5-420-01470-X , language=lt 1885 establishments in Germany Organizations established in 1885 1914 disestablishments in Germany Organizations disestablished in 1914 Lithuania Minor Organizations based in Prussia