Vilnius Region[a] 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.
Polish Army soldiers parade in the Cathedral Square, Vilnius, 1919
Lithuanian poster Remember enslaved Vilnius, the 1930s
Lithuanian Army parade in the Gediminas Avenue, Vilnius, 1939
Act of Independence of Lithuania
The Act of Independence of Lithuania or the Act of February 16th, also the Lithuanian Resolution on Independence, was signed by the Council of Lithuania on February 16, 1918, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania, governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The Act was signed by all twenty representatives of the Council, which was chaired by Jonas Basanavičius. The Act of February 16 was the result of a series of resolutions on the issue, including one issued by the Vilnius Conference and the Act of January 8. The path to the Act was long and complex because the German Empire exerted pressure on the Council to form an alliance. The Council had to carefully maneuver between the Germans, whose troops were present in Lithuania, and the demands of the Lithuanian people.
Hand-written original of the document
The original 20 members of the Council of Lithuania after signing the Act of February 16, 1918
Jonas Basanavičius, the chairman of the Council when the Act of February 16 was signed
Hand-written originals of the Act of Independence of Lithuania in the Lithuanian (left) and German languages (right), exhibited in 2022