Vilnius and its region Vol. 2

Illustrations by Ferdynand Ruszczyc

One of the main arguments Poland used to support its claim to Vilnius was the fact that it had liberated the city from the Bolsheviks in 1919. The event often appeared in works of art, posters and books. The cover Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870–1936) designed for the publication Wilno i Ziemia Wilenska, about the history, culture and politics of Vilnius and its region, shows a wing with broken chains, symbolically emphasising the importance of the liberation of the city. However, this symbolic image did not go down well with the Lithuanian press. The magazine Naujoji Romuva responded: ‘No, it is not Vilnius that is free, but the city’s unworthy occupants that are enjoying freedom in Vilnius. Doesn’t the inscription “Take us back to Lithuania” on a little cross hanging by the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Gates of Dawn mean anything?’ (A.B., ‘In Vilnius’, Naujoji Romuva, 1931, No 3, p. 57).

Text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album KAUNAS–VILNIUS / 1918–1945 (2021). Compilers and text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Illustrations by Ferdynand Ruszczyc

One of the main arguments Poland used to support its claim to Vilnius was the fact that it had liberated the city from the Bolsheviks in 1919. The event often appeared in works of art, posters and books. The cover Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870–1936) designed for the publication Wilno i Ziemia Wilenska, about the history, culture and politics of Vilnius and its region, shows a wing with broken chains, symbolically emphasising the importance of the liberation of the city. However, this symbolic image did not go down well with the Lithuanian press. The magazine Naujoji Romuva responded: ‘No, it is not Vilnius that is free, but the city’s unworthy occupants that are enjoying freedom in Vilnius. Doesn’t the inscription “Take us back to Lithuania” on a little cross hanging by the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Gates of Dawn mean anything?’ (A.B., ‘In Vilnius’, Naujoji Romuva, 1931, No 3, p. 57).

Text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album KAUNAS–VILNIUS / 1918–1945 (2021). Compilers and text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė