the in the churches of World War I Jonas Basanavièius lived in Vilnius, Diocese was approved. The author of this reso- where he took part in political and cultural actions lution and the initiator of its adoption was Basana- of the , and collected material about vièius. The resolution was directed against poloni- the history of the German occupation. sation: it demanded to protect the rights of the On September 18–22, 1917 Jonas Basana- Lithuanian language in the chur- vièius chaired the Conference of the Lithuanians ches of Vilnius Dio- in Vilnius, which elected the Council of cese and to raise the (later renamed into the Council of the State of issue of spreading the Lithuania). In 1917 through 1918 he took part cultural and political in its work and, along with others, signed the influence of the acts declaring about the restoration of the Lithuanians. When state of Lithuania. He chaired the February organising the GSV, the 16, 1918 meeting of the Council of Lithuanian National Lithuania, at which the act, Democratic Party was set considered the main do- up on Basanavièius’ cument on the initiative. restoration of the In January 1906 Jonas modern state, was Basanavièius left for St signed. Jonas Ba- Petersburg, where he con- sanavièius was the sulted with the Russian person in the Council Constitutional Party about who united the conser- the matters of the Lithuanian vative and the radical autonomy. In January–Feb- Lithuanian politicians for ruary 1906 he wrote a signing such an act. Memorandum addressed to Jonas Basanavièius died Pope Pius X, which was mailed on February 16, 1927, the day on 23 May 1906. It requested for the Lithua- of the anniversary of restoring nian church to be separated from , to consist the state of Lithuania. He is buried of three – Seinai, Samogitian and Vilnius – dioceses. in Rasos cemetery in Vilnius. At the same time he was among the organisers of Jonas Basanavièius wrote about 40 scientific the Union for Restoring the Rights of the studies on the issues of sanitation, history, Lithuanian Language in Roman Catholic Churches archaeology, cultural history, ethnography, folk- and wrote its statute. The Union was concerned lore and linguistics, and about 140 different articles. with the rights of the Lithuanian language in the As a scientist, he was mainly interested in the churches of Vilnius Diocese. ethnical genesis and culture of the Lithuanians. On Basanavièius’ initia- He accumulated valuable data tive, the Lithuanian Scienti- in this field. The most va- fic Society was set up in Vil- luable part of Basanavièius’ nius in 1907, which he heritage is the collections of chaired until his death and the Lithuanian folklore that edited its publication Lietuviø he compiled and published. tauta (The Lithuanian na- The creative heritage of tion). In 1911 he organised the scientist and public figure an agricultural machinery has been in our society’s production company Vilija centre of attention for a large Information is available at the Bank of Lithuania and was a large shareholder number of years. Efforts are Tel. (370 2) 68 03 16 in it. He established a com- made to conceive as thorou- Fax (370 2) 68 03 14 pany of Lithuanian farmers ghly as possible the impor- http://www.lbank.lt in 1913, organised the tance of his activities for construction of the House of Lithuania, and to find new the Lithuanian Nation. In meanings in his work. August through November In 2001 Lithuania marks 1913 he visited the USA the 150th birth anniversary The coin was minted at the state enterprise “Lithuanian Mint” together with Martynas of Jonas Basanavièius. Yèas, where they gathered Monument to Jonas Basanavièius in Vilkaviðkis. Lithuanian Commemorative Coins funds for its construction. Sculptor Antanas Þukauskas During the years of Dr. Rimantas Miknys © The Bank of Lithuania, 2001 Print run 700 copies. Order No. 305. Printed by the Publishing and Printing Division of the Bank of Lithuania 151 Þirmûnø St, LT-2012 Vilnius, Lithuania Jonas Basanavièius (1851–1927)

The Lithuanian people got accustomed to students who had finished Marijampolë gymna- Archaeological Society of Varna, was a member of called the Great Seimas of Vilnius (GSV), that took using the epithets like “awakener of the nation sium in order to isolate them from Polish influence. a medical society. For his contribution to Bulgarian place in Vilnius on December 4–5, 1905. Basana- and national self-consciousness”, “the patriarch In the same year 1879 Basanavièius left for science Jonas Basanavièius was elected a vièius participated in the work of the Organising of the nation”, “the patriarch of Lithuania’s re- Bulgaria to work as the director and a doctor in corresponding member of Committee of the GSV, vival”, “developer of the natio- Lom (Lompalanka) hospital. the Bulgarian Literary chaired it during the last nal ideology” with the name of From 1882 to 1884 he improv- Society (later reorganised phase of its work, made a Jonas Basanavièius that, in many ed his knowledge and skills in into the Bulgarian Academy substantial contribution to cases, have become synonyms of Prague. He married Gabriele of Sciences) in 1898 and co-ordinating the positions his name. And this is natural; no Eleonora Mohl, a Czech of Ger- became a real member of of conservative and radical one has doubts in this respect, as man descent in 1884. On his re- the Bulgarian Academy of Lithuanian politicians, he was a man who felt time, turn to Bulgaria, he worked as a Sciences in 1902. preparing the programme conceived the essential, vital doctor in Elena in 1884–1885, In 1880–1882 Jonas of the Congress and the needs of his environment and was was a war doctor during the war Basanavièius wrote for the Address to the Lithuanian capable of finding ways and between Bulgaria and Serbia. Lithuanian press of Prussia Nation. He prepared and, companions for satisfying and After the war he worked as a (Lithuania Minor). In the together with Donatas fulfilling them. doctor in Lom (1885–1892), Keleivis and Lietuviðkoji Malinauskas, Juozas Am- Jonas Basanavièius lived and and later in Varna (1892–1895). ceitunga he promoted the braziejus and Meèislovas worked at the turn of the 19th When his wife died in 1889, he ethnic community of the Davainis-Silvestraitis, and 20th centuries, which was full lived alone. In 1891 Jonas Lithuanians of Lithuania signed a memorandum to of closely connected, intertwined Basanavièius became a Bulgarian Minor and Lithuania Pro- Two “dawnists” – Dr. Jonas Ðliûpas and the Russian Prime Minister Jonas Basanavièius Dr. Jonas Basanavièius and interacting phenomena and in approximately 1890 citizen; in 1894 he was the court per. In 1883 he prepared the Sergey Vite. It contained processes. Western Europe was doctor of Duke Ferdinand of first issues of the Auðra and historical arguments that at that time overcome by the Bulgaria. signed as the publisher of the first one. One of the substantiated the rights of the Lithuanian nation ideology of liberalism that penetrated politics, With the development of the Russian revo- peculiarities of the newspaper was that it was to political self-determination, accentuated the economy, and culture; it put forward the value of lution, Basanavièius returned to Lithuania on published in Prussia in the Latin alphabet and distri- revived nation’s strive for continuing the old a human being and the problem of the freedom of August 1, 1905 and lived, with breaks, in Vilnius buted illegally in ethnographic Lithuania, where traditions of Lithuania’s statehood, stated the orien- an individual. No human being has ever existed until the end of his days. this alphabet was banned by the authorities. Jonas tation towards a civic society, the essence of which apart from a nation because every individual, by Jonas Basanavièius embarked on cultural and Basanavièius was a major contributor of the lay in the formula “A Lithuanian is a citizen of the common historical destiny, is linked to a traditional political activities as a student. Along with newspaper, writing about 70 articles between 1883 state of Lithuania”. Autonomy for Lithuania was cultural society in which he can express himself to medicine, he studied the history and archaeology and 1886. In them, he promoted and fostered demanded, the limits of which were to comprise the utmost degree and fulfil his freedom most of Lithuania, collected Lithuanian folklore, and Lithuanian ethnographic values: language, folklore, the-then provinces of Vilnius, , Gardinas widely. Basanavièius was among the first to realise was concerned with public education and the lifting and history thus bringing about the formation of and Suvalkai, and a small part of the Kurðas this formula of the time for the self-liberation of of the ban on the Lithuanian press. Engaged in the national self-consciousness of the Lithuanians. province. The requirement to incorporate the 50LITAS COIN ISSUED TO COMMEMORATE an individual and a nation. He directly associated this work, he communicated closely with Petras In his articles he also formulated the perspective Suvalkai province into Lithuania was the best the freeing of a Lithuanian as an individual with Vileiðis and Vincas Pietaris. In 1874 he prepared of the political and cultural orientation of the evidence of Lithuania’s ethnic-political separate- THE 150th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY the liberation from the an ABC book, yet the modern Lithua- ness from Po- OF JONAS BASANAVIÈIUS oppression of the Russian Russian authorities did not nian nation, land. The Me- Empire noting that “our grant him permission to which prevailed morandum ac- ideal should be a self- publish it. in the political centuated the dependent Lithuania”. While living in Bulga- life of Lithua- continuity of Jonas Basanavièius was ria, Basanavièius was active nians until the historical and Silver 925 born on November 23, 1851 in the social, political and very loss of state tradi- Diameter 38,61 mm in Oþkabaliai village, now cultural life of the country. Lithuania’s tions of the Vilkaviðkis region. His pa- In 1899 he joined the statehood in Grand Duchy Weight 28,28 g rents, Juras and Marë Basa- Bulgarian Democratic Par- 1940. of Lithuania Quality proof navièius, were peasants. In ty. He took part in the On his re- and urged the 1873 Jonas Basanavièius fi- party congresses, prepared turn to Lithua- tsar of Russia The words on the edge of the coin : Jonas Basanavièius (sitting second from the Jonas Basanavièius (sitting fifth from the right) nished Marijampolë gymna- right) with his schoolmates, 1875 its programmes. He syste- nia in 1905, Jo- with the signatories of the Act of Independence not to ignore KAD AUÐRAI AUÐTANT PRAÐVISTØ IR LIETUVOS DVASIA sium with a silver medal. In matically recorded Bulga- nas Basanavi- the title of the (SO THAT THE SPIRIT OF LITHUANIA BRIGHTENS UP WITH THE COMING DAWN) the same year he entered the Faculty of History rian folklore, collected ethnographic material and èius became Grand Duke of and Philology of Moscow University, but he only wrote for the Bulgarian medical press. Jonas “the moral authority of the nation”. He took part Lithuania, pointing out the significance of Vilnius Designed by studied there until the autumn of 1874. He Basanavièius became the initiator of the anthro- in all major actions aimed at representing the as the capital of the projected autonomy. Rûta Nièajienë, Rytas Jonas Belevièius continued his studies at the Faculty of Medicine, pological science in Bulgaria, and was known among interests of the modern Lithuanian nation and Jonas Basanavièius was one of the chairmen from which he graduated in 1879. Throughout his European anthropologists. He was elected a restoring the statehood of Lithuania. He was the of the GSV. The Congress adopted a resolution to Mintage 2 000 pcs studies, Jonas Basanavièius received a member of and German anthropological initiator of the first political congress of repre- seek autonomy for Lithuania within its ethno- Issue 2001 academic area scholarship granted to Lithuanian societies, contributed to the establishment of the sentatives of the Lithuanian nation, otherwise graphic limits. A separate resolution on the use of