Path to freedom. 30th anniversary of Sąjūdis
3 June marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Reform Movement of Lithuania Sąjūdis. On this occasion, KTU Museum prepared the exhibition “Road to freedom. 30th anniversary of Sąjūdis” The biggest merit of Sąjūdis – restoration of the state of Lithuania. The Act of Independence of 11 March was signed by 4 KTU lecturers, members of Sąjūdis: prof. Vytautas Paliūnas, assoc. prof. Povilas Varanauskas, assoc. prof. Povilas Varanauskas and lecturer Algirdas Vaclovas Patackas. Thanks to Sąjūdis, the independence of Lithuania was defended on January 1991. KTU Sąjūdis Council invited students, lecturers and employees to gather and defend the Supreme Council Chamber in Vilnius and protected objects in Kaunas and its districts. Students, lecturers and employees went to Vilnius by buses to defend state objects; others defended television building in Kaunas, municipality, Sitkūnai radio station and Jūragiai radio and television rebroadcasting station. Even though there were victims, including two KTU students, Virginijus Druskis and Rimantas Juknevičius, the freedom was defended.
Also, thanks to KPI Sąjūdis, the institute became Kaunas University of Technology; two-cycle study system was introduced and other significant reforms were performed. At the initiative of KPI Sąjūdis and club “Aukuras”, Vytautas Magnus University was restored in Kaunas, monuments for Vytautas, Darius and Girėnas were built, presidents Antanas Smetona, Aleksandras Stulginskis and Kazys Grinius were memorialised in the garden of the historical presidency.
The exhibition presents digital copies of the documents and photographs from KTU Museum and archives of the signatories of the Act of Independence of 11 March.
